John Pillar may have been a successful businessman, but his success didn't cause him to forget how to be generous to others.

His generosity was one of the many things his family and friends admired about him.

"Whenever there was someone in need, Dad was there," said his son, Rob Pillar, of Butler. "And if he was able to give financial support to a family who needed it, he did."

Mr. Pillar, of Pine, died Tuesday from complications of pneumonia. He was 77.

For many years, he worked as a plastic pipe and fittings salesman. In 1969, he decided to take a risk and start his own company because he was tired of the travel his old job involved -- travel that took him away from his family for long periods of time.

"My dad was definitely a risk taker," Mr. Pillar said. "He didn't want to have to [travel] anymore. He wanted to spend more time with us and give us a better life."

He started Pillar Industrial Products in Leetsdale. He stuck to what he knew best, which was selling plastic pipe and fittings to retailers.

At first, the company wasn't successful, his son recalled.

"It was a little bit of a rough ride for the first couple of years," he said. "It wasn't immediately successful. We had a lot of lean years, but I was just a little kid, so I didn't know any better back then."

Eventually, it succeeded and Mr. Pillar stayed with it until he retired at age 60. He sold the company to one of his salesmen, and it's still in operation today.

Mr. Pillar also was involved in the community. He served as an assistant coach for his son's sports teams and was involved in his children's other activities.

"Whatever we were into and doing, he was also very involved with," his son said.

Mr. Pillar and his wife, Mary Jane, also were active with the youth group at their church, St. Sebastian Parish in Ross.

Mr. Pillar was a Korean War veteran.

In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by two other children, Karen Vogel, of Columbus, Ohio, and Leslie Mitros, of Pine; a sister, Marie McDonough, of Fresno, Calif.; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Services were to be held yesterday at St. Kilian Church, Mars.