William Walter Titley was born October 13, 1869, in Pennsylvania. He became affiliated with the Evening Light Reformation early in life. In 1902 he was married to Mahala Uber in Marshall, West Virginia. On June 5, 1903, they were blessed with a son, who they named Victor. On November 7, 1904, they were blessed with another son, Vernon, but sorrow soon filled their hearts as his short life came to a close on August 12, 1905, at the age of 9 months. Sadly, Mahala’s earthly pilgrimage also ended the following year on April 13, 1906, at the age of 33. Her body was laid to rest in the Mount Rose Cemetery, Moundsville, West Virginia. The Titleys were both ministers of the Gospel and closely associated with the Gospel Trumpet work which was, at that time, located at Moundsville. The following is a quote from the Indiana Weekly Messenger, Indiana, Pennsylvania, May 2, 1906:
“Mrs. Mahala Titley, daughter of Mr. Simon Uber, of Horton, this county, died at Moundsville, West Virginia April 13, aged 34 years. [She was actually 33 years, 5 months.] Mrs. Titley was ordained an evangelist in the Church of God and acted in that capacity for 10 years and contracted a cold in filling an appointment at Canton, Ohio. She is survived by her father, three sisters and one brother living in Barnks township and a husband and two children at Moundsville, West Virginia.” [Note: survived by “two children” is probably inaccurate, as a United States Census report from 1910 shows W. W. Titley as “widowed” and having one son, Victor. The newspaper probably failed to note that, although she was the mother of two children, one had preceded her in death.]
At some point, following his wife’s death, W. W. Titley moved to Texas. Ruby (Trimble) Stover says in her book, Life’s Golden Gleanings, “We arrived at Riviera, Texas, just at Christmas [1909]. … We also took the Gospel Trumpet paper; and, as the Lord had it planned, found a family of saints not far from us. They had little services, and a minister came once a month to preach. This was Brother O. B. Wilson, Sr. That was our first meeting with Brother and Sister Wilson, Sr. When he couldn’t come, [his wife] Sister Mattie Wilson (also a minister) came for the appointment. She always brought her baby, Ostis, who was just a year old. He is the Brother Ostis Wilson we know today. My little brother is just a few days older; and many times, Mama and I would hold the two babies while Sister Wilson preached. There were a few saints not far away who also came for meeting. One whom I especially remember was Brother W. W. Titley who had just lost his wife not long before that time. His little boy, Victor, looked so pitiful without a mother. Brother Titley wrote number 379 in our songbook [Evening Light Songs], ‘Some Blessed Day.’ I have often thought he must have written it in memory of his dear wife. He was so grieved that he left Texas and went to the Gospel Trumpet home [in Anderson, Indiana] not long after we went there.” — See www.churchofgodeveninglight.com/library/books, Life’s Golden Gleanings, Ruby Stover, pages 37 – 38.
W. W. Titley spent 22 years as a widower, devoting himself to serving the Lord and the Gospel Trumpet publishing work. On April 14, 1928, at the age of 58, Brother Titley married Elizabeth Ann (Jones) McCandlish, a 42-year-old widow from West Virginia. To this union a daughter was born on May 26, 1930, whom they named Virginia. Virginia was only 16 years old when her father, W. W. Titley, departed this life January 7, 1947, in Anderson, Indiana, at the age of 77 years. Her mother, Elizabeth, passed away October 26, 1978, at the age of 93. Victor Titley passed away March 28, 1996 at age 92.
