Clair A. Bayne

          Clair A. Bayne, 83, of Titusville, formerly of Oil City, died Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at Titusville Healthcare. 

          He was born in Franklin on February 6, 1938 to the late Howard and Harriet (Haney) Bayne.

          He earned a degree in education from Pitt University.  He also served in the U.S. Army Reserves. 

          Mr. Bayne volunteered with the Cornplanter Fire Department and drove the van for the Oil City Red Cross.  He also sang in the Venango Barbertones chorus.

          He was active with the former Hasson Height Community Church, and later attended Seneca United Methodist Church. 

          Clair had several hobbies including model rocketry and photography.  He did photography work for the Clarion University Venango Campus archeology program.  He enjoyed music and played the organ at various churches, and learned to play the cello in his 70's.  He and his wife enjoyed camping and traveling in their R.V.

          Clair wrote a technical textbook on electronics and repair, and used that textbook to teach from during his last year of teaching at the Oil City Vo-Tech school, where he taught courses in communications, television/radio repair, and electronics for many years. 

          More recently he was the author of a murder mystery novel which his granddaughter is currently finishing and looking forward to getting published. 

          He was married in Oil City on November 3, 1963 to the former Barbara J. (Hollenbeck) Bayne, and she preceded him in death on March 9, 2021.

          Clair is survived by two sons:  David Bayne and his wife Penny of Franklin, and Dustin Bayne of Oil City; a granddaughter, Elizabeth Bayne; and a great-granddaughter, Melani Futchi. 

          Also surviving are three sisters: Kathy Foster, Sharon Davis, and Bonnie Whitling, all of Texas; and numerous nieces and nephews. 

          He was preceded in death by his sister, Patricia Kurant.

           Friends and family will be received Friday (Sept. 10th) from 2 - 4 and 6 - 8 p.m. in Hile-Best Funeral Home, 2781 Rte. 257 in Seneca, Cranberry Township.  A funeral service will be held in the funeral home Saturday (Sept. 11th) at 10 a.m. with Pastor David McVay, pastor of Worden Chapel United Methodist Church, officiating.  Interment will follow in Bethel Cemetery near Franklin. 

          Memorial contributions may be made to the Venango County Humane Society, 286 S. Main St., Seneca, PA  16346; or to the Oil City Library, 2 Central Ave., Oil City, PA  16301.

          To express online condolences to Clair's family, please visit www.hilebest.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Clair A. Bayne, please visit our floral store.