Owner of Charleston's Pile Hardware dies at 79

William Pile Jr., owner of Charleston's Pile Hardware, died Monday at age 79.Photo byGMSV / Keller Funeral Home

DUNBAR, W.Va. — The owner of a longstanding hardware store on Charleston's West Side has died.

William Pile Jr., a longtime resident of Dunbar, died Monday, according to his obituary. He was 79 years old.

Pile owned Pile Hardware, a store on West Washington Street. The shop, opened in 1932 by his grandfather, Frank Marshall Pile, has a long and storied legacy in the city.

Born on Sept. 22, 1944, in Charleston, Pile spent most of his life in Dunbar. He graduated from Dunbar High School in 1962.

In 1963, Pile married his wife of 61 years, Sandra Jane Cawthon Pile. They would go on to have four children.

Pile played an active role in his family's business, ultimately becoming its owner. Under his leadership, Pile Hardware sponsored several youth sports teams around the Kanawha Valley. In 2012, after 50 years of service, Pile was awarded the Golden Hammer, a prize given to those who dedicate their careers to the hardware industry.

Pile was an active member of several Kanawha Valley organizations. He was a longtime volunteer at the Dunbar-Institute Samaritan Center, a food pantry on 16th Street in Dunbar. He was a member of several social organizations, including Shriners, the Masons, the Royal Order of Jesters, and the Elks. He was also active on several civic panels, having served as a member of the West Side Neighborhood Association, former chairman of the West Side Streetscape, and Chairman of the Economic Development Committee of Dunbar.

"For all who knew Bill, you know he never met a stranger," his obituary notes. "He took the responsibility of serving the community to heart."

Pile was also active in teaching youth sports.

"Bill is remembered fondly by many in the Dunbar and Institute communities as their coach," his obituary notes.

He trained several little league, minor league, and big league baseball, youth football, and biddy basketball teams throughout his life.

A visitation for Pile's family and friends will be held on Friday, July 26, 2024, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Keller Funeral Home, 1236 Myers Ave. in Dunbar.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, July 27, 2024, at St. Christopher Episcopal Church, 821 Edgewood Drive in Charleston. The Rev. Stan Holmes will officiate.

In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that contributions be made to the Dunbar-Institute Samaritan Center in Dunbar, the Charleston Mountain Mission, or the St. Christopher Episcopal Church Memorial Fund in Charleston.

Pile's full obituary is available on Keller Funeral Home's website.