William Henry Lotter, Jr.
Born August 10, 1934
William Henry Lotter, Jr. , age 80, of Oxford, PA and formerly of Kennett Square, PA and Newark, DE, passed away on Monday, January 26, 2015.
Mr. Lotter was born in Springfield, PA on August 10, 1934, son of the late William Henry Lotter, Sr. and Lydia Baxter Lotter. He was a graduate of Springfield High School where he was an all-star athlete in football, basketball and baseball and served as senior class president. Mr. Lotter graduated from the University of Delaware in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity and remained active as an alumnus.
Mr. Lotter began his professional career in the paper manufacturing industry, working for the Scott Paper Company and the Rice Barton Corporation. He then engineered the startup of Specialty Composites Corporation, a manufacturer of polyurethane foam products. During his 22 years at Specialty Composites, he held the positions of director of engineering, director of operations and then became president and chief executive officer.
After his tenure at Specialty Composites, he then joined Insteel Industries as vice president and general manager, before retiring in 1997. In 2011, Mr. Lotter was honored by the University of Delaware’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and was given the inaugural Distinguished Career Alumni award.
Over the years, Mr. Lotter enjoyed staying active in the community. He was an active member of the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Newark, DE, since 1969. Mr. Lotter has served multiple terms in the parish vestry and, more recently, on the property committee. He provided leadership in multiple civic associations and actively sought corporate donations in support of the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library and the Kennett Symphony. For many years, he enjoyed hiking with the Wilmington Trail Club, was an avid woodworker and was a member of the Kennett Square Country Club, where he founded FROGS (Friendly Retired Old Golfers). He also enjoyed traveling with his late wife, friends and family.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Marjorie Ruth Behling Lotter, with whom he shared 52 years of marriage and a son, William F. Lotter. He is survived by his children, Linda Barrow (Bill) of Newark, DE, Sharon Brunelle (Alan) of Woodinville, WA and Bob Lotter (Kelly) of Elkton, MD; sister, Jane Smith of Alexandria, VA; and 8 grandchildren, Michael, Bill, Brian, Steve, Nick, Megan, Ryan and Amy.
A visitation for family and friends will be held from 4 pm until 6 pm on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at the Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home, 121 W. Park Place, Newark, DE. A memorial service will be held at 11 am on Friday morning, January 30, 2015, at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 276 S. College Avenue at Park Place, Newark, DE 19711. Interment will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, at the address listed above.
Linda Glod
Bob, Kelly and your families – Jim and I send you our prayers, thoughts and love at this difficult time for your family Bob and for Kelly’s family. We are struggling with finding the right words to say on the loss of both of your fathers so close together. Fathers make a son into a man and for daughters they display what a daughter should look for in a husband. It appears both of your dads were those kind of men. Please remember what they provided each of you and pass it along to your children. Speak of them often when your families gather, for they will be with you always. May God grant you the strength needed to endure this hardship. God Bless. Jim and Linda Glod
Mark Kranz
Sharon, So sorry to hear about your dad. My condolences to you and your family, My memories of being around your parents when we were at UDel are all great ones. He was a super person to be around! Looks like he had a very full and enjoyable life!
Pete Klingelhofer
Bob, Kelly, Sharon (and your husband), Linda, Bill, and Jane-
I wish I could be with you all this weekend as you come together to celebrate Bill’s life. He was a terrific person to spend time with and always had such a pleasant and calm demeanor. I know he was always one of Suzanne’s favorite people and I wish all of our children had known him better. You are all in my thoughts and prayers. God bless, Pete Klingelhofer
Bob Lotter
Jim and Linda,
Not sure if my first reply went through, so I wanted to make sure that you both knew how much your presence and kind words mean to Kelly and I. It is through the comfort of good friends that we all rebound from loss, and this has been especially true this week, with the loss of both of our fathers. Thank you so much for being there for us, and may God bless you!
Bob and Jelly
Sandra mauro
Will be missed by all of the class of 1952. He served as our class president for springfield high school, springfield, PA. Was a great motivater for all our class reunions. The last one being in 2012 our 60th. Rest in peace, Bill
Anne Shughart
Linda Sharon & Bob
So sorry about your dad. he was a fine person good neighbor & great patient.
Know he will be missed! Our thoughts & prayers are with you.
Anne & Sherwood Shughart
Bill Fenstermacher
Linda, Sharon and Bob
Your dad had many accomplishments but was very humble and he will also be missed by his many friends. Every (worthy) woodshop project that results from using his tools will be a little known part of his ongoing legacy. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Bill Fenstermacher
Jim Neal
Bill was a good friend and a person I could count on to give me good advice. I enjoyed both Bill and Marge and always wished that we could have had more time together. Bill was helpful and supportive in so many ways. In the community, with him at work, with Bill on community projects and in political campaigns. He was supportive and always had good ideas on any issue we discussed. Bill is a person you are privileged to have met.