F. A. BRILL 60. DIESINSTORE Prominent Business Man, Civic Leader Falls Dead. Funeral Wednesday. Francis A. Brill, of 46 South Fourth street, Sunbury merchant and one of the community's outstanding citizens, died at 7 o'clock Saturday evening in his store, at 419 Market street, shortly after suffering a heart attack. He was 60 years of age. He was in his usual good health during the evening, and had walked to the front of the store to talk to several persons when he collapsed and fell to the floor. He expired before Dr John W. McDonnell, who was summoned from his office nearby, reached his side. His body was removed a half hour later to the Shipman Memorial Chapel. The tragedy of his untimely and totally unexpected death deeply affected his associates in the business district as the news quickly spread. In the community at large Sunday it was the universal expression that in his death Sunbury lost one of its best citizens, a man of exemplary character and sterling worth, proved in a business career of more than 40 years. Mr. Brill had not been ill and had never complained of a heart ailment. A cardiogram in recent months indicated no heart lmper fection. ' From early youth he had en gage m the marketing of floor coverings, draperies, etc., with the exception of- several years during wnicn ne engaged as one of the proprietors of the former Sunbury Item. In his boyhood, while his father, tne late uev. William Brm, was pastor of St. John's Methodist Church, he entered the employ of William H. Dunkelberger. later his brother-in-law. at the Dunkelberger store, 437 Market street.
In 1918 he and Charles S. Farra, now deceased, purchased the Sunbury Item from Benjamin Apple , He-conducted it with Mr. Marra until 1927, when he disposed of ""his interest and returned to the Dunkelberger store. In 1938 the Dunkelberger store "-was sold to Miller's furniture store, and became a branch of the Miller company whose headquarters were at Harrisburg. In January 1939 Mr. Brill opened a store in the Lieb buuriing which he conducted until his death. f A man with a high sense of civic responsibility, he was for many years associated in company activities. Mr. cnu was an eiuci u jtiirst resDyierian umiui, 'one of the most loyal members of the. congregation. He was also a member of Lodge 22, Free and Accepted Masons, the Williamsport consistory, me niiinnun tHose Company and the Sunbury Arouse Club. A charter member of the Sunbury Rotary Club, he became a Rot'arian when the service club was formed here January 29, 1917 and retained, his membership until death. Although he had been prevailed upon a number of times to accept the vice presidency, which would have led automatically to advancement to president, he reclined with thanks. He was. however, one of Rotary 's most faithful and loyal members, performing committee duties with dispatch and t.Vkinu a keen interest in club and community rr -cncnt.s in guaranteed. There remain only four charter members of Rotary with Mr. F Brill's death. They are: Ur. toward P. AlJ6use, Theodore W. Bittner, Charles H. Broscious and Frank A. Neff. Mr. Brill, for many years a .sports enthusiast, was one of the group of Sunbury men who organized the Sunbury Baseball Association, Inc., which acquired a franchise in the Inter-State League. He wa? a member of the board of directors of the club and was instrumental from the start in its policies. He served on the gates, stands and concessions committee of the association. Although he attended most of the-home games of the club, he was.' never in the park for a Sunday ' contest. This, he explained to ffiends, was against his principles. His stand on the question was-' similar to that of Branch Rifcjcey, head of the Brooklyn Dodgers organization and one of the top- men in organized baseball, wh 3oes not patronize Sunday baseball. In World War II he was active as an air raid warden and inTStvilian support of the war effort Mr. Brill was the son of Rev. William Brill and Lillie Gregg McMurray Brill, and was born at Birmingham, Pa., August 29, 1889. His father, a minister of the Methodist Church in the Central Pennsylvania Conference, was assigned to St. John's Church, Sunbury in 1906, and stayed here un-til1908 when he was assigned to Danville. When the family left Sunbury the two older sons remained here. J. McMurray, the oldest was employed in a city laundry, and Francis, next in age, was, employed in the Dunkelberger store. In 1917 when the United States entered World War I, the oldest son, known to his family and friends as Mac Brill; left with the first selective service contingent for Fort Meade, Md. He was fatally wounded in action in France In 1918. Dr. George A. Deitrick, Sr., of this city, then a captain in the "28th Division in France, attended him as he was dying. Some years after the war the Veterans of Foreign Wars in es tablishing Post 1532 here, gave it the I name Thomas Brill, in his honor and for another Sunbury war; victim. The post made Francis A. Brill an honorary life member. Two other brothers saw service In both the first and second world wars. Lt. Col. William Gregg Brill, returning from War I. on completion of his course of study in Trinity College, Hartford. Connecticut, became associated with the administration of the college. When the Civilian Conservation Corps program was started in 1932 he returned to active military service with a CCC assignment In 1941 he was called to active duty . In the Air Corps. He served at Washington until 1943 when he was retired with rank of lieutenant it colonel because of disability, he was youngest of the Brill family, i "onei Clinton a. iiske Brill, 1st lieutenant in War I, was with the XV nth Army in the European in V'sion in War II. He had charge ol the camouflage of boats in which the army crossed the lower F'vne, in the final phase of the v. -r;in the winter of 1945. He is r engaged in architectural en g' Bering in New York. Tr. Brill is survived by his wife, the former Margaret Crawford, two brothers and one sister. J'iss Julia Gregg Brill, a member of . the faculty of Pennsylvania State College who last year was mad a full professor of English exposition. Mrs. Brill's father, Albert C. Crawford, was circulation, manager of The Sunbury Item, before her husband became One of the noorietors. funeral services will be held In First Presbyterian Church Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock Kev.Charles B.Vumond. the pastor will officiate. Burial will in the mausoleum in West Side Cemetery.