RENSSELAERVILLE — William J McChesney Jr., once a longtime treasurer for the Rensselaerville Presbyterian Church, spent his career with the same company and his summers in the same historic village.

Mr. McChesney died in his Rensselaerville home with family at his side on Tuesday, April 7, 2015, from complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was 86.

He was a lifelong resident of Rensselaerville, as his family had a summer home there. When he retired from Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation, he lived in it year round. Mr. McChesney descended, through his mother’s side, from the Van Antwerp family, a long Dutch lineage in the Albany area, his wife, Susan McChesney said.

Mr. McChesney was born on Jan. 15, 1929, the son of William J McChesney and Anne Stevens McChesney of Albany.  He was a member of the class of 1946 at The Albany Academy and the class of 1950 at Yale University, where he was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity and studied mathematics.

Mr. McChesney spent more than 30 years as a manager at Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corporation. While living in Edgewood, Pennsylvania, he played tennis with the same group of people for 25 years, Mrs. McChesney said. When they moved to Rensselaerville after his retirement, he helped to organize a tennis tournament in the town and played in it.

For the more than 20 years he lived in Rensselaerville, Mr. McChesney served on several committees and was active in the Rensselaerville Presbyterian Church, where he was treasurer for about 20 years, his wife said. He was part of the group that purchased Conkling Hall, a popular and historic local venue for square dancing, concerts, and community events. Mr. McChesney also served on the Rensselaerville water and sewer committee.

Tennis was a lifelong interest for Mr. McChesney, who played regular sets every Saturday. He also played hockey and was somewhat competitive. But his children were the most important focus of his attention.

“He taught them all to drive, and they all adored him,” said Mrs. McChesney. She described him as an affectionate and patient father, who was fond of his children and his friends. He stayed in contact with some friends from The Albany Academy and with one he shared first grade through college.

He was known as “Jay,” after the letter “J” — as his middle name was the letter, written without a period.

“He didn’t tell jokes. He just made wry comments,” Mrs. McChesney said of her husband’s personality. They were married for 63 years. “He and I shared the same sense of humor, and the absurdity of some political actions.”

“He was a very human person,” she said, “fond of dogs and cats and children.”

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He is survived by his wife, Susan Baldwin McChesney; his children, Peter Baldwin McChesney and his wife, Kristin, Lea Stevens McChesney and her husband, Chris Burnett, William J McChesney III and his wife, Cynthia, Sarah Kutschkau and her husband, Randy; his grandchildren, Ted McChesney, Jay McChesney, Anne Miriam Burnett, Katie McChesney, Andrew McChesney, Amanda MacIsaac, and Matthew MacIsaac.

A memorial service in his honor will be held in July at the Rensselaerville Presbyterian Church. “May he rest in peace,” his family wrote in a tribute.

Mourners may go online to ajcunninghamfh.com.

“The family is grateful for Jay’s thoughtful care from Dr. Kevin Costello, his private nurses, and from Community Hospice of Albany County,” his family wrote.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Rensselaerville Presbyterian Church, Post Office Box 47, Rensselaerville, NY 12147; the Edmund Niles Huyck Preserve, Post Office Box 189, 5052 Delaware Turnpike, Rensselaerville, NY 12147; or The Albany Academy, 135 Academy Road, Albany, NY 12208.

— Marcello Iaia