Erland D. Kailbourne, 100, of Wellsville, NY, passed away
peacefully on January 30, 2018. Born May
18, 1917, in Kane, PA, he was the son of Daniel W. and Blanche Logue
Kailbourne. Due to family illness,
Blanche’s sister Nellie Logue (William and Nellie Gorsuch) raised Erland. Both the Kailbourne and Gorsuch families
moved to Allegany County in 1930 after Daniel Kailbourne and William Gorsuch
obtained employment at the Sinclair Refinery.
Erland lived with the Gorsuch family until his marriage. He graduated from Wellsville High School in
1936. Erland was employed by the
Sinclair Refinery from 1938 until 1958 as a statistical and shipping
clerk. He remained a lifelong collector
of Sinclair memorabilia. From 1960 to
1986, he was employed by the Butler Larkin Co. of Wellsville and served as
their Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer.
On March 26, 1939, Erland married Donna L. Kear from Whitesville, where
they lived until 1941. They then moved to Wellsville where they built their
home on Howard Street and have resided there ever since. Donna predeceased him on July 24, 1994. They were both lifelong active members of the
First United Methodist Church in Wellsville.
Erland served several years on the Board of Trustees and as the church
treasurer. He also was active in the
early years of Little League Baseball serving as the official scorekeeper
during the 1950’s and spent numerous hours helping to construct the dugouts and
concession stand at Hank Sinkey Field.
Both He and Donna toured the United States from coast to coast via auto
before the Interstate system was built and vacationed every summer at their
favorite cottage in York Beach Maine.
Erland is survived by two sons, Erland “Erkie” (Pauline) of Mendon NY and
Kevin (Nancy) of Wellsville; five grandchildren,
Heather, David, Troy, Jeffrey, and Brian;
nine great grandchildren; and
several nieces and nephews. Also
surviving are: three brothers, Raymond
Kailbourn (Colleen) of Wellsville, Lloyd Kailbourne of Whitesville, Robert
Gorsuch of Modesto California;
sister-in-law Roberta (Donald) Kramer of Whitesville; and special friend and companion for the past
12 years, Barbara Finnemore of Wellsville.
He was predeceased by sisters, Vivian Ostos, Grace Buettner, and
Katherine Rose; brothers, Carl Kailbourne,
Donald Kailbourne, and the Gorsuch brothers, James, William, and Miles. Erland was a devout Christian, a loving
father, grandfather, and great grandfather, as well as a collector of books and
a very accomplished electrician and carpenter.
Visitation hours will be held on Saturday, February 3, 2018 from 4:00 –
7:00 PM at the Mulholland-Crowell Funeral Home, Wellsville, NY. A memorial service will be held at the First
United Methodist Church in Wellsville NY on Saturday, April 28th at 11:00
AM. Burial will be in the Whitesville
Rural Cemetery at the family’s discretion.
Memorials may be made to the David A Howe Library, 155 North Main St.,
Wellsville, NY 14895 or Hart Comfort House, 141 East State St., Wellsville, NY
14895. Online Condolences maybe
expressed at www.wellsvillefuneralhome.com.
