William C. Hartzell

On June 4, 2024, Bill Hartzell, of Whitehall, PA, completed his work on earth and was received into the glorious presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave his all to serve his Lord, his family, and his community – truly a life of excellence.

Bill arrived on December 27, 1935, the sixth child of seven born to Clifford and Gladys (Sell) Hartzell. He graduated from Whitehall High School in 1953 where he ran track and was a place kicker and punter on the football team. He served in the Army as a paratrooper in the Airborne Division where he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal and the Parachutist Badge.

He married the love and inspiration of his life, Dorothy May Silfies, on April 6, 1957. They celebrated 67 years together, loving and serving each other and their Lord all along the way. It was Dorothy that introduced Bill to Jesus Christ – for that, Bill was eternally grateful, and so are we.

Bill and Dorothy were blessed with four sons: William of Lehighton; Nathan of Ashley; Timothy (Heather) of Williamsport; and Daniel (Amy) of Watsontown.

They were also blessed with eight grandchildren: Michael (Cathy Kates} Everett, Travis (Nina Reed) Everett, and Selina (Scott) Graver, all of Lehighton; Nathan Jr. (Mattine) of Singapore; Reid of Hong Kong and Ryan (Kirsten) of Williamsport; Karissa Pavlick (Steven Vargovich) of Allentown; and AJ (Randi) Lambert of Newberry.

They were also blessed with thirteen great-grandchildren: Summer, Evan, Finn, Mackenzie and Mackayla, all of Lehighton; twins Nathan III and Helen-Mar of Singapore; Savannah, Aryannah and Sophia of Allentown; and Noah, Chase and Alyvia of Newberry.

Bill was a jack of all trades. He could work on and fix almost anything. While working for UGI he was severely burned in a gas explosion. Most notably, Bill started and ran his own business, Hartzell Roofing and Siding. For nearly twenty years, his business improved buildings and homes throughout the Lehigh Valley and offered employment to his sons, other family members, and the men he was ministering to on the streets. After roofing, Bill worked with teenagers at a care facility in Weaversville, and then became a maintenance worker at Kid's Peace and retired from there.

While raising a family and building a business, Bill also gave his life to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. In the mid 1970's, he began doing prison ministry. Soon he was also doing street ministry in center city Allentown. He sought out the broken and weary wherever he went. As they came to Christ, he began transporting them to church on Sundays. In time, it made good sense to start a church in center city Allentown. Even though he had no ministerial training or licensing, he rented a store front on Sixth Street, and there he and Dorothy planted a church. As people came to Christ, they needed help with breaking addictions, overcoming poverty, and being set free from all kinds of difficulties. It was in this setting that he became affectionately known in center city Allentown as "Brother Bill".

As the storefront church grew, a traditional church building became available. Bill remodeled the church and Community Wesleyan Church was officially organized. Many people came to saving faith in Jesus Christ during those years of prison, street and inner-city church ministry. Bill was specifically gifted by God to reach the people of the city – and Dorothy was his faithful companion in the work of life and ministry.

In his later life, Bill utilized his various construction skills to help churches remodel spaces for ministry use. He volunteered faithfully at a food bank in Allentown and continued serving people and preaching the good news of Jesus Christ. He never retired from serving his Lord, his family and his community. No matter what he did, Bill was always genuinely Bill – and always all in.

Dr. Harry Wood, previous District and General Superintendent of The Wesleyan Church had this to say about Brother Bill, "I have never known a person, regardless of their status or gifts, that had a greater passion to win lost people to Jesus. While his latter life was confined, his passion still burned red hot for lost people."

Bill enjoyed all things outdoors - camping, fishing, hiking, birdwatching, wild-flower identifying, and going for rides in the country. He enjoyed crossword puzzles and card games. He was an avid and accomplished racquetball player.

It is not possible to tell the full story of Bill Hartzell and the thousands of lives touched and changed by him and Dorothy. Their home was always open to whoever needed it, be it just for a meal, or for a place to stay for several days – or even several years. They never hesitated to love the people God brought into their lives. Heaven alone contains the complete record, and Bill is now enjoying the many cherished treasures he laid up there. Well done, Brother Bill, well done.

Bill was predeceased by his mother and father; three brothers, Robert, Richard, and Jack; a sister-in-law, Dolores Hartzell; a brother-in-law, Neil Litzenberger; and a daughter-in-law, Terry Hartsell .

Bill is survived by his wife and sons; a brother, George of Elizabethtown; two sisters, Jean Litzenberger of Whitehall, and Margaret (Henry) Guldner of Roxborough; two sisters-in-law, Lillian Hartzell of Allentown, and Sharon Hartzell of Tucson, Arizona.

A celebration of Bill's amazing life will be held on Thursday, June 13, 2024, 11 AM, at Mountain View Wesleyan Church, 1001 Deemer Road, Bath, PA. All are welcome. The service will also be livestreamed and can be accessed at the church website, www.mvwchurch.org, by clicking on the "Worship Online" tab on the main page, and then clicking on the William "Bill" C. Hartzell Memorial link.