Paul Willard McCreight
(December 14, 1923 - December 11, 2010)

Paul Willard McCreight, 86, of Huntington, WV, died December 11, 2010, at his residence in Woodlands Retirement Community. He was born December 14, 1923 in Norwood Ohio, the son of Gail Doak McCreight and Helen Cornelius McCreight.

Willard and his family moved to Huntington in 1936 where he graduated from Huntington High School in 1942. He attended college at Duke University as a member of the NROTC, graduating in 1945. He served as Lieutenant J.G. and communications officer in the U.S. Navy in World War II. He then attended Law School at the University of Michigan, graduating in 1949. After earning his law degree, Willard entered the practice of law with Scott and Ducker and married Betsy Ann Keadle, daughter of Okey and Miriam Graybeal Keadle.

Willard was a lifelong member of First Presbyterian Church of Huntington. He was an elder of First Presbyterian for over fifty years, and Sunday School teacher for almost as long. He was an active leader in the Presbytery for many decades. When Huntington hosted the national meeting of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church U.S. in 1963, he served as general manager of the host committee – a meeting that was instrumental in desegregating the hotels and restaurants in downtown Huntington at the time.

He was also very active in the National Presbyterian Church. He had served on the General Executive Board of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. throughout the 1970s. In the 1980’s he served on the Committee that led the reunion of the United Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church U.S. to form the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A), as well as various key subcommittees, including the one that relocated the national headquarters of the newly combined church to Louisville, Kentucky.

Willard’s work as an attorney included service as Huntington’s assistant city attorney in the 1950s, attorney and secretary for the Tri-State Airport Authority for several decades, and member of the board that built and managed Presbyterian Manor and Riverview Manor from the 1970s. He served his community in many other ways including a decade as President of the Board of the Huntington Museum of Art during a period of significant growth and expansion.

After his wife’s death in 1985 Willard picked up her interest in genealogy and devoted much time over the succeeding decades to researching and writing the history of her and his families. He has lived for the last decade at Woodlands surrounded by lifelong friends.

Willard is survived by his son Todd S. McCreight and wife Catherine A. Lutter of Rockville, Maryland; and his son Matthew K. McCreight and wife Kathryn Greene-McCreight of New Haven, Connecticut. He is also survived by four grandchildren, Jeffrey McCreight, Noah McCreight, Anna McCreight, and Grace McCreight.

A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, December 14, 2010 by the Rev Skip Seibel. The family will receive friends after the memorial service at the church. Klingel-Carpenter Mortuary is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers the family suggests that any donations can be made to the Huntington Museum of Art, 2033 McCoy Road, Huntington WV 25701 or First Presbyterian Church of Huntington, WV, 1015 Fifth Avenue, Huntington WV 25701.