Wilbur Steltzer, Jr.

January 20, 2020

West Grove, PA

"Bill"

Wilbur Steltzer Jr. (Bill), 90, died peacefully on Monday, January 20, 2020, at Jenner’s Pond Retirement Community in West Grove, PA. He was an active part of the community until his final days.

Born in Philadelphia, Bill graduated from Germantown High School and University of Pennsylvania (C ’51). He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, the NROTC, and Phi Alpha Theta (Honorary History Fraternity). After graduation he served three years as a naval officer on the cruiser USS Albany, then returned to Penn and received his MA in Education in 1957. Bill was also very active with the Boy Scouts and served as a Scout Executive in Philadelphia.

Bill began his career as a science teacher, the highlight being two years at the American College for Girls in Istanbul, Turkey. He served 18 years as Principal of Avon Grove Middle School in West Grove, PA, retiring in 1988.

Married for 52 years to Alice Miller Steltzer of Philadelphia (died in 2010), they raised their family in Kennett Square, PA. They were deeply involved with the Church of the Advent and Bill served on the Kennett Symphony Board.

Following retirement, Bill worked for six years at Winterthur Museum. He also volunteered at the Delaware Museum of Natural History’s Ornithology Department, Kennett Square’s Adult Literacy Program, and the Red Cross Blood Bank. He and Alice moved to Jenner’s Pond in 2005.

Bill’s passion was travel. He completed 45 round trips across the Atlantic, setting foot in every country in Europe. An avid hiker, Bill was a member of the Wilmington Trail Club and hiked across England, Portugal, the Netherlands, all the small counties of Europe, and several states.

Bill is survived by three children, Lauren Steltzer (Bala Cynwyd, PA), Wilbur Steltzer III (Landenberg, PA), and Alison Clough (Fairfax, VA), as well as six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 22 at 12:00 pm, in the Alison Theater in the Alison Building at Jenner’s Pond. All are welcome.