Sweet leaves legacy of selflessness
Claysburg firefighter, NAACP member hailed for volunteerism
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Those who knew Billy Sweet agree that a common thread wove through his life and will be remembered as his legacy; it was one of selflessness, volunteerism, community, equality and, above all, family.
Sweet passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, June 27, at the age of 76.
"He never missed any of the sporting events for his nine grandkids," son Travis Sweet said. "Anything I was involved in, he was always there. My mom too, they were always there."
Born in Imler, Sweet lived in Claysburg and had over 45 years of active service with the Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company and was a member of the Central District Volunteer Firemen's Association. Sweet will receive full firefighters honors at his funeral, his son said.
"There was a time where we pretty much -- anything going on at the fire hall, we were there," Travis Sweet said. "It was a family thing."
The younger Sweet said that he was actually a third generation volunteer firefighter and that Sweet and Sweet's own father had been volunteers.
"He was the best dad that anybody could ask for," Travis Sweet said.
Travis Finegan, a volunteer at the Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company for about 20 years, said that he knew Sweet since he was about 5 years old.
"I grew up with his son," Finegan said. "He liked to joke around. He had a dry sense of humor; he didn't have to try real hard to be funny. When someone talked to him, they always walked away laughing."
Finegan said that he always saw Sweet and Patti, his wife of 38 years, at the fire hall helping with fundraisers while he was growing up.
"He was just a really good guy," Finegan said. "He was always hauling his grandkids around and going to their events. I never knew anyone that had a bad word to say about Bill."
Sweet was also passionate about his work with the Blair County Chapter of the NAACP, which began when he restored an abandoned Black cemetery in Claysburg, Travis Sweet said. The elder Sweet even paid to have a flag pole installed because veterans were buried there.
"He took over that cemetery," Travis Sweet said. "I helped, but he did it on his own. That's how he got to know Don (Witherspoon). There's been a few people buried there now since it's not run down."
Travis Sweet described his father, who went on to serve a number of years as NAACP vice president, as Witherspoon's "right hand man" and said that the two became "really good friends."
"The bottom line is that Sweet was not only instrumental in rebuilding the branch in the 1980s and '90s, but he was one of the strongest allies we have ever seen," NAACP President Andrae Holsey said.
The NAACP Executive Board, as well as their members, expressed their condolences to Sweet's family and especially to Patti, who served as the NAACP treasurer.
"We are deeply moved by his loss," Holsey said. "They're wonderful people who have a passion for the community and a passion for the history of it and making sure those things are known."
A volunteer firefighter in his younger years, Sweet's son said he turned gradually toward working for civil rights and equality as he got older.
"He and Don knew most of the movers and shakers in this area and a little bit beyond," Travis Sweet said, adding that Sweet received an award from the Human Relations Commission several years ago for his work. "He raised me to know the person, not anything else."
Sweet was always worried about helping others and what needed to be done, which only became more apparent after he retired as a turnpike toll collector in 2001. Not only did he volunteer with the fire company and the NAACP, he also helped his church, St. John the Evangelist Church, would get food to shelters and would help people get their prescriptions, his son said.
"Volunteerism has really gone down in the world," Travis Sweet said. "Volunteering shouldn't be about 'what do I get out of it,' and my dad instilled that in me."
Sweet was also a "real railroad nut," his son said. They went to railroad festivals and traveled in steam powered locomotives together.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 1, 2023, at St. John the Evangelist Church, Altoona, with Monsignor Michael Becker officiating. Interment will be at Claysburg Union Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company at P.O. Box 292, Claysburg.
Mirror Staff Writer Rachel Foor is at 814-946-7458.