William McCoy was an Indiana native with early ties to the Oakland Cemetery. Born in Armstrong Township, Indiana County, in May 1820. He moved to Indiana Borough when he was quite young. In 1841, McCoy married Caroline Gompers, the daughter of Francis Gompers. The couple had nine children. They sold fourteen acres to the Oakland Cemetery for $2,500. William McCoy also served as the first president of the Cemetery’s board of directors.
In 1867, the McCoys went to West Virginia, where William engaged in the lumber and oil business. The couple still enjoyed spending summers in Indiana. They relocated to Pittsburgh, where, in 1875, William and two sons took charge of the Fifth Avenue Hotel, which they operated until 1886. After a brief retirement, William returned to the hotel business with the opening of the Grant Hotel, an establishment that “was a favorite with the traveling public.” McCoy was well known as a horse breeder and kept a large stable in Pittsburgh. Caroline McCoy died in December 1890. Two years later, William McCoy married Alice B. Pyle of New Castle. Together, the McCoys had a daughter. About a week after the baby’s birth, William was stricken with “paralysis.” He died on 16 February 1894, at age 73. He left a widow and two-week old daughter. He was interred at Oakland Cemetery. Alice McCoy died in 1929 and is also buried in Oakland Cemetery.