William L. Broelmann III

                Bill was born in 1946 in Chicago to William and Florence Broelmann, and was soon joined by his brother, Robert, in 1949. The family moved frequently, following his fathers changing positions working with the railroad, and the lived in Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Chicago, Buffalo, and the Philadelphia region. Bill attended the Buffalo State University studying education, and taught high school. Living and teaching in Baltimore, he started a second career, first in emergency medicine, and nursing. It was while working at Union Memorial Hospital that he met Lucille, Lucy, in 1988. They were married at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Wilmington, in July 1990. In 1992, they welcomed their son, William. Bill continued to work in nursing, till he received the opportunity to return to education. He taught middle school prior to retiring.

   Bill had numerous hobbies and interests, but railroads and trains were always number one. Trains: models, books, pictures, museum visits, and even as the preferred mode of travel, they came first. It was a passion he developed from his father and family, and was passed on to his son. Outside of railroading, Bill was involved in many activities, woodworking, the arts, cars, traveling, and cooking were all passions of his.  He always had projects going on in woodworking, building, or construction around the house. If not working at home, he would be found sharing his skills with others. While he never considered himself much of a performer, Bill loved the arts. He was the quintessential “Band Dad” to his son Will and daughter-in-law Alisa. Bill was their biggest supporter, helping while they were in high school, and attending every performance and concert through college and beyond. Volunteering his time and talents was important to Bill, especially at church, were he became involved in numerous groups, and activities. He loved vacations with family, traveling from Maine, to the family cabin on Moosehead Lake, to Florida, including Disney and cruises.

 Family was at the heart of everything for Bill, even with extended family around the country. He cherished and loved his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. Calls to his brother Bob, and the trips up to New York to see him, his wife Sheryl, and his two nephews, Rob and Brian, were frequent and treasured. Lucy’s family, outside Philadelphia, included her mother and sister Joyce, where every trip included helping small jobs around the house. Her sister Joanne, brother-in-law Matthew and daughter Katherine Trageser, were also close and spent time together.  He was especially close to Lucy’s uncle, Sam, and aunt, Lorraine, who introduced him to Maine and boating. Long before Will and Alisa’s wedding in 2018, their families had enjoyed coming together for holidays and gatherings. The extended family included Alisa’s parents, Isabella and Felix Spitelle, her sisters Lara and Carla, as well as Isabella’s brother Dominick D’Eramo, sister-in-law Karen, their daughters Stephanie and Anna, and Karen’s parents, Jim and Anita Sterling.

 Please join the family as we celebrate his life on Friday December 20 at Ebenezer United Methodist Church, 525 Polly Drummond Hill Road, Newark, Delaware 19711. Visitation will be held starting at 12:00pm with a service to follow at 1:00pm. In lieu of lowers, kindly consider a donation to Ebenezer United Methodist Church.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William L. Broelmann III, please visit our floral store.