William Farmer's face, or at least the top of his head, may have been more familiar than his name to thousands of Pittsburghers Downtown over the past few decades.

Generally Bill or Billy or Mr. Bill to others, depending on their age and relationship, the lighthearted Mr. Farmer was one of the dwindling number of professional shoeshine men Downtown before his death Friday. He was 68, and he died in his Hill District home after battling emphysema and pneumonia.

The short, heavyset man who loved talking sports with customers -- or really, discussing anything they wanted, because he read every day's newspaper religiously to keep up -- operated a stand since the early 1990s on the bottom floor of the U.S. Steel Tower. Before that, he spent nearly two decades polishing shoes and making friends at Gabriel Shoe Repair, on Forbes Avenue near Wood Street.

William Farmer

"He knew a little bit about everything, a very wise guy," said the shop's proprietor, Gabriel Fontana, who remained friends with Mr. Farmer after he left to be in charge of his own business.

Mr. Farmer worked at the U.S. Steel Tower with two longtime friends who preceded him in death, and he turned over the business this year to Neil Massie, a younger man he befriended and mentored. He trained him on the brushes, rags, polishes and waxes of the trade, and also taught him about dealing with the many people who come by, from the high-powered executives he conversed with to the children from the day care center he showered with candy.

"He's the type who would make everybody happy," Mr. Massie said. "He looked out for people, and he gave a lot away."

Mr. Farmer could also shine a pair of shoes to a dazzling level in five minutes, an asset for those in a hurry. For regular customers who enjoyed the conversation, he could be more leisurely, and some stopped to chat even when their shoes needed nothing from Mr. Farmer.

"A shoe looked like a piece of glass when he was done with it, which is becoming a lost art," said Steve Morris of Mount Washington, an employee of a Downtown law firm who started as a customer and became a friend.

Mr. Farmer framed a copy on a wall at home of a 1992 USA Today story that prominently pictured him and quoted him on the struggling economy of that era, contrasting his views with those of the steel company executives working more than 60 floors above him.

Mr. Farmer, who was raised in the Hill District, was an only child who never married. He hustled to get various jobs, including running a newsstand in the Hill and cooking at George Aiken's, before settling into the shoeshine trade. He was a fixture Downtown, regularly eating at the Original Oyster House, where he made one last visit for a fish sandwich last Tuesday.

He also became a traveler, going to destinations like Tobago, Florida and New York City with a longtime friend, De Lores Pryor of Wilkinsburg. On trips, the apron and ball caps he wore while shining shoes were replaced by dapper clothing with stylish hats. He was both a "character" and a gentleman, Ms. Pryor said, with a wide-ranging appeal to children, customers and many more in his extended family.

Friends will be received from 4 to 9 p.m. today at Samuel J. Jones Funeral Home, 2644 Wylie Ave., Hill District. A service will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Macedonia Baptist Church, 2225 Bedford Ave., Hill District, with burial in Allegheny Cemetery.