WILLIAM G. MOUNT - KING OF THE MOUND

By MILT KRUGMAN
Bucks County Courier Times

William Graham Mount always had the body of a power athlete.
He stood about 5 foot 9 inches, weighed on the plus side of 250 pounds and could really throw a softball. He played the game all his life.
A graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, Class of 1970, he played football and baseball and wrestled in school.
“If he was taller, he probably could have been a pro football player,” his wife of 22 years, Patricia, said. “He was a very good defensive tackle and had played semipro football when he was a young man.”
He had been employed for 20 years by USX Fairless Works and pitched in the steel mill's softball league for many years.
“Bill, who was in his early 30s, once pitched against the King and His Court with Eddie Feigner,” she said. “That's a four-man softball team that never loses. Feigner got mad at him, because Bill was able to pitch by throwing the ball between his legs, just like Feigner does. Feigner told him to knock it off, and said, "This is my show, not yours.' ''
Mr. Mount was playing softball in his 40s; into his 50s he started coaching and coached a men's fast-pitch team and a girls' travel softball team in Bristol Township. He also umpired softball for about 10 years.
Mr. Mount, a lifelong resident of the Newportville section of Bristol Township who was born in Philadelphia, died suddenly on Jan. 11 of cardiac arrest at the age of 55.
After working at USX, he was employed for about eight years by Bristol Township in the park and recreation department, and for the last year worked as a client care worker with Woods Services in Langhorne.
One son and four daughters survive Mr. Mount, and this is the second marriage for him and his wife.
“Bill was a great husband, he was a giver; he was funny, made me feel secure, and I never had to worry about anything,” she said.
Dennis Sylvestre of Middletown, a friend of Mr. Mount, said, “My daughter Tracy was fortunate to have Coach Bill work with her at an early age. He not only taught her a lot about pitching but instilled a passion for the game as well as fine-tuning her skills.
“Bill was a man large in stature, with an even bigger heart, and a very quiet demeanor. He would do anything for a friend or one of his girls. I am truly blessed to have known Bill and to have been his friend. We are going to miss Coach Bill.”