James Dean Bedillion

James Dean Bedillion, 72, died Friday, August 18, 2017, at St. Clair Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, after a long struggle with Frontotemporal Dementia. He was born in Washington, Pennsylvania on January 22, 1945 to Paul W. and Edna Clicquennoi Bedillion, who are both deceased. Jim is survived by his wife of 51 years, Betty Jean Burt Bedillion of Washington, his son, James Burt Bedillion of Vienna, Austria, and his older brother, David Paul Bedillion of Washington. While in high school and college he worked for McKean Plumbing and Heating, earning his plumbing license, and subcontracted for Art Randall installing furnaces. A class of 1962 graduate of Trinity High School, Jim earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Mathematics Education at California University of Pennsylvania before teaching mathematics, principally geometry, for over ten years at Canon-McMillan. In 1977 Jim left teaching to pursue a thirty-year career with State Farm Insurance, serving as an Agent in Finleyville (1977-1979), Training Director for the state of Pennsylvania (1979-1981), Agency Manager in Chester and Delaware Counties (1981-1984), Agency Manager in Washington, Westmoreland, Fayette, and Greene Counties (1984-1991), and finally returning to agency in Uniontown (1992-2007). He earned Charter Life Underwriter (CLU) and Charter Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations from the American University in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, and briefly taught insurance classes at Waynesburg College. A Deacon and charter member of The Church of the Covenant, Jim served several years as a Youth Group Advisor with his wife Betty. Jim was very handy and mechanically inclined. He enjoyed building and fixing almost anything. His hobbies included computers, woodworking, card games, and logic/puzzle games in general. He had a rich sense of humor and a deep passion for understanding the world through mathematics, science, and technology. Friends and family will be received from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 29 at William G. Neal Funeral Homes, Ltd., 925 Allison Ave., Washington, as well as at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, August 30, followed by services at 11 a.m. Jim believed the purpose of life is to help others. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration www.theaftd.org.