William J. Hartmeyer Jr.

HARTMEYER, JR., WILLIAM J. , 75, died of pancreatic cancer at home in Altamonte Springs on May 2nd under the loving care of Hospice of the Comforter. Born May 26, 1933 at Takoma Park, MD, Bill was the third child of William J. Hartmeyer of Pittsburg, PA, and Ethel Curley of New York City. Bill's siblings, Roger W. Hartmeyer and Ida Fischer, preceded him in death. When Bill was a small child, the family moved to a farm outside Laurel, MD. There he met the only playmate his age in the vicinity, a girl named Emily Towers who soon became a close friend and playmate. Following graduation from St. Mildred's HS Academy in Laurel, MD, Bill pursued his mechanical interests, especially piping and refrigeration. He graduated from the Steamfitters & Refrigeration Union Local #602 apprenticeship program in Washington, D.C., and worked in that trade for 37 years. On May 16 Bill will be honored posthumously at his union's annual banquet for his 55 years of union membership, an affiliation of which he was very proud. In 1954 Bill married Marie de Pascal, and together they raised three children, William J. Hartmeyer, III (wife, Jane), Howard R. Hartmeyer (wife, Jeanne), and Alice R. Frazier (husband, Larry). Bill delighted in raising his three children - they were the great joys of his life. Many of Bill's friends remarked that they never knew anyone more devoted to his children than Bill, and that was the best compliment, Bill said, he ever received. After many years of scant contact between their parents, Bill and his Dad again met childhood playmate, Emily Towers, now living in FL in the late 1970's. Both he and Emily were divorced. They later married in 1990, and in 1991 they retired and moved to the Orlando area where Emily had previously lived. As a lifetime MD resident, Bill soon adjusted to FL during retirement pursuing his love of boating and fishing in the St. John's River and Intracoastal Waterway with son John. He and Emily loved their grandchildren and their pet cat Jerry. Bill expressed his compassion for others by regular contributions to the Orlando Union Rescue Mission, other charities serving the poor, and animal welfare. Bill is also survived by grandchildren, Jennifer Ann Hartmeyer, Mary Jane Simpson, Kristian Lynn Baker, Nathanal Andrew Hartmeyer, Roger Kenneth Frazier, and one great-grandchild, Emma Grace Baker. Viewing will be at 9AM on Friday, May 8 at Carey Hand Cox-Parker Funeral Home, 1350 W. Fairbanks, Winter Park, followed by burial in Greenwood Cemetery, Orlando, at 11AM. A memorial service will be held at 10AM on Saturday, May 9at First United Methodist Church of Orlando, 142 E. Jackson Street, Orlando, Rev. Britt Gilmore officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Carey Hand Cox-Parker Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Orlando Union Rescue Mission Inc., PO Box 2791, Orlando, FL 32802, or Russell Home for Atypical Children, 510 Holden Ave., Orlando, FL 32839.