William (Bill) A. Schmalbach

William (Bill) A. Schmalbach, age 62, of Lumberton, NJ, passed away on July 9, 2009 at Cooper Hospital in Camden, NJ. He was raised in Moorestown, NJ. Husband of Jane (nee Heller-Slater) Schmalbach; father of Jennifer Schmalbach-Rezza and Amy Schmalbach. Step-father of James Slater, Jr. (Kim) and Thomas Slater. Son of Ida Schmalbach & the late Jonathan Schmalbach; brother of Nancy (Smitty) Smith & John (Lynn) Schmalbach. Step-grandfather of Joshua, Melissa, Nicole, and Jessica Slater. Uncle to Jamie & Carl Schmalbach, Brett Smith, Lisa (Rob) Czepiel. Cousin to many, “Adopted” Uncle to many. Bill fought heart and lung disease for many years with great fortitude, courage and strength. One of his favorite sayings was, “What did he die from?...Lack of breath.” Unfortunately, in his case, that turned out to be true. Bill lived life to the fullest. Bill was very proud that he was the Chaplain at the Mt. Holly VFW Post 2692 since 2000. Bill served in the US Army from 1966-1968 and in the Army Reserves from 1968-1972. He served in Vietnam in 1967-1968, during the TET Offensive. He served with the ground troops as a radio operator and tunnel rat. Bill loved his NASCAR races, especially Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt, Jr., along with his Budweiser. Bill worked at many various occupations over the years. At one time, he had his own automotive repair business. He worked at RCA/GE for 16 years. He also worked as an exterminator for A-Shield Pest Control for 5 years. Bill was a jack-of-all-trades with a wealth of knowledge on many subjects. Bill had the ability to make everyone feel special and to make them laugh. No one was ever quite sure what he was going to come out with next! In spite of his sometimes outward gruffness, underneath was a heart and soul of gold. He would do anything for a friend. He will be sadly missed by his family and a multitude of friends. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 11:00 AM at the Perinchief Chapels, 438 High St., Mt. Holly. Interment with Military Honors will be in the BGWCD Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Arneytown. Friends may call on Tuesday evening from 7-9 PM at the Funeral Home. Contributions in his memory may be made to the VFW Post 2692, 199 South Ave., Mt. Holly, NJ 08060.

William (Bill) A. Schmalbach

December 15, 1946 - July 9, 2009