William D. Hartzog

HARTZOG, WILLIAM D., 93, passed away peacefully at his Clermont home on Aug. 11, 2009. Born on Jan. 31, 1916 in Esto, FL, William was the son of John Daniel Hartzog and Mattie Watford Hartzog. He is survived by two daughters,
Denise Hammond of Orlando and Patricia Flood of Clermont; sons-in-law, Michael Hammond and Pat Flood; grandchildren, Lydia and Elliott Hammond and Daniel and Bernie Flood; brother and sister-in-law,
Marvin and Lois Hartzog. He is also survived by brother-in-law Bernie Morris, Bernie's wife Hazel; children, Dennis Morris (Wanda) and B.J. Weyer (Billy) and grandchildren Will and
Michael Weyer and Brooke Morris. He was predeceased by his wife of nearly 64 years, Josephine Minor Hartzog, and his second wife of five years, Almeeta Herring Johnson
Hartzog. Bill is survived by
Almeeta's son, Chip Johnson and her daughter, Mary Jo Green. Bill is also survived by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Bill's father passed away when he was only 15 years old, and Bill moved to Sanford to live with his older sister, Bera. After marrying
Josephine in 1936, he moved to Winter Garden. Although Bill had only an eighth-grade education, he became a very successful and well-known businessman in West Orange County. Over the course of 50 years, he owned the Winter Garden Hardware Store, Bill Hartzog's Pool Room, Hartzog and Vick Realty, and hundreds of acres of orange groves. In the early 1950's, Bill donated clay from his orange grove to Orange County to construct what became Hartzog Road, a seven-mile loop which opened thousands of acres to citrus production. Hartzog Road now lies at the western entrance to Walt Disney World. Bill was active in the Masonic Lodge, where he served a term as Grand Master and from which he recently received his 50-year pin. He also served as president of the Winter Garden Lions Club. He served as a founding director of West Orange Memorial Hospital, West Orange Country Club, and a director and board chairman of the Winter Garden Citrus Cooperative. In addition, he served several terms on the Orange County Planning and Zoning Board during the years Disney came to Florida. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Windermere, and generously (and often anonymously) supported its missions. Bill belonged to both West Orange Country Club in Winter Garden and Green Valley Country Club in Clermont. Until recently, he played at least two rounds of golf a week, sometimes shooting his age. He was a loyal friend to many, faithfully visiting those who were sick or in the hospital. He was an enthusiastic
story-teller, and often captivated both friends and strangers with tales of early West Orange County. Bill was also an avid fan of University of Florida football. He sat in the same seats near the 50-yard-line for more than half a century. When the games ran too late for him to attend, he watched them on television, recorded them, and viewed them over and over. Family and friends are invited to attend visitation at Baldwin-Fairchild's Winter Garden Chapel from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday. Funeral Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church, Windermere. He will be laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Health Central Park in Winter Garden, where Bill was tenderly cared for during the last two months of his life, or to the First Baptist Church in Windermere.