“Bill” Scheel, a good man, avid sports fan

William J. Scheel, Jr, 82, passed away on Saturday, July 6, 2019 at Foothill Acres Nursing Center in Hillsborough, NJ.

Bill was born on March 16, 1937 in Orange, NJ, to William and Mary (Mohr) Scheel. He grew up in Livingston, and graduated high school from Grover Cleveland in Caldwell (before Livingston had its own) in 1955. He joined the United States Army shortly thereafter, and served three years in Germany, then three years stateside in the Army Reserves.
Bill married Neal Ann Lauterbach of West Orange in 1960 in Livingston, settled into an apartment in West Orange, and then bought their first house in Parsippany in 1962. Bill and Neal Ann relocated to Edgewater Park in 1973, and lived happily there for 29 years, until her passing in 2002.

Bill drove trucks for Highway Freight, and Baer Concrete in Roseland. He then began a long career as a warehouseman, and later warehouse manager, in the building materials industry, for Georgia-Pacific in Clifton and Yardville, and later for Boise Cascade and Shea Brothers Lumber in Delanco.

Bill enjoyed bowling in leagues at Hanover Lanes with his dad and brother-in-law “Healey”, and shooting pool in several leagues in southern NJ and eastern PA. Bill was also a fierce competitor during street/driveway basketball games at Lauterbach family picnics. He was very handy with tools; he enjoyed building things in and around his houses. He loved to visit and “contribute” to the slots at casinos in Atlantic City, Delaware, Philadelphia, and even on a family trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas.

Bill was a passionate and knowledgeable sports fan – New York Giants football (a season ticket holder for 24 years), New York Rangers hockey, and Boston Red Sox baseball. He loved attending events in person, and following his teams on TV. He was a dedicated fan, who stuck by his teams, suffered through the lean years and celebrated their successes.
After suffering a massive stroke in 2010, Bill battled back with intense physical and speech therapy to regain enough mobility and communication to actively participate in family functions, and outings to see his beloved sports teams. The family would like to recognize those professional and compassionate therapists and caregivers, at Kessler Chester, Brookdale Hillsborough and Foothill Acres, that made such a difference in his later life.

Bill was preceded in death by Neal Ann, his wife of forty-two years, his parents, and his sisters, Jean Healey and Mary Lou Hale. He is survived by his in-laws Jacquelyn & Walter Camuso of Hillsborough, Loren & Lorraine Lauterbach of Rockaway, and Lyle & Gail Lauterbach of West Orange, an estranged adopted son Michael, and many nieces and nephews across the state and the country. He was a good man, and will be greatly missed.

The family will greet friends and relatives at a visitation at Hillsborough Funeral Home, 796 US-206, Hillsborough, between 5 and 8 PM on Friday, July 12. Burial will follow at 11 AM on Saturday, July 13, at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 225 Ridgedale Ave, East Hanover.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Somerset Health Care Foundation (www.rwjbh.org/rwj-university-hospital-somerset/giving), the American Kidney Fund (www.kidneyfund.org), or a charity of your choice. Condolences may be left on Bill’s online guest book at [website URL].

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