Obituary of William A. Thorpe

William A. Thorpe, 88, of Elizabethtown, formerly of Lansdale and other places, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday morning, December 13, 2017 at Masonic Village at Elizabethtown. Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of the late Paul N. and Edna Hoffman Thorpe. He was the husband of Margaret Webster "Peg" Thorpe for 67 years prior to her passing September 20 of this year. Bill was a member of Derry Presbyterian Church in Hershey. During World War II, he served in the United States Navy Reserve stationed at Willow Grove Navy Reserve. At the time of his retirement, he was a self-employed financial planner. Serving others was central to Bill's life. In addition to his service to country, this was demonstrated in his 65-year membership as a 32nd degree Free and Accepted Mason of the Shiloh-MacCalla Lodge No. 558, in Lansdale and membership in both the Aladdin and Irem Temples of the Shriners. He was recognized for 50 years of volunteer service by the Shriners' Hospital. He was also a member and past president of Lion's International and a volunteer with Bear Creek (PA) Ambulance Service. He is survived by two children, Marcy, wife of Howard Wendrow, of Ardsley, NY and Caryl, wife of Daniel Waters, of Lansdale, PA; and three grandchildren, Sara Wendrow, Ben, husband of Karyn Wendrow, and Nick Waters. He was also preceded in death by a brother, Paul N. Thorpe, Jr. A memorial service will be held on Saturday afternoon, December 30, 2017 at 2:00 PM at John S. Sell Memorial Chapel, One Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown, PA, with Chaplain Gary George officiating. There will be no public viewing. The family will receive guests at Sell Chapel on Saturday afternoon from 1:00 PM until the time of the service. Please omit flowers. If desired, contributions may be made in his memory to Shriner's Hospitals for Children, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607. To express a condolence with the family or for additional information, visit www.spencefuneralservices.com.