1926 – 2019
FREEPORT – Henry W. Welzel, 92, of Freeport, Maine died peacefully on Wednesday, May 1, 2019.
He was born Oct. 20, 1926, in Elyria, Ohio, to Max and Gertrude Welzel. He was a loving brother to Hildegarde Loeser and Irene Hryniewicz.
Hank’s wife, Gloria, died on April 1, 2019.
Together they enjoyed 67 years of love, kindness and a deep dedication to each other. They raised five children in Hopkinton, Mass.: Conrad, Jane, Andy, Eric and Linda. He was a beloved grandfather and great-grandfather to 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Over the years he worked as a production manager for several companies in Massachusetts including Akins & Merrill, Duplicon, Moroney Bookmobile and Foster Miller. Much of the work he did was with fiberglass and plastics. He was quite proud of his work for the New York World’s Fair, the Gemini Space Programs and the USS Nautilus Submarine. Hank was also well known for his ability to recreate historic artifacts out of fiberglass. Some of his pieces of work included the Boston Public Garden rot iron black fence, the sword on the George Washington statue as well as a replica of Plymouth Rock for the 350th anniversary.
He moved to Freeport, Maine in the early 1980s where he designed and built their post and beam home and barn nestled in the woods. He finished his career working at Bath Iron Works as a safety inspector. He often joked that it was fitting that he end his professional career at BIW due to his lifelong love of boats.
His passion for animals was evident in the many rabbits, sheep and goats that he raised on his small farm. He also volunteered at the People Plus Teen Center and was a regular vendor at the Brunswick Farmers Market. He enjoyed creating beautiful benches, wheelbarrows and window plant boxes and donated all his proceeds to various veteran’s organizations.
Telling stories of his many adventures, watching soccer, building projects and caring for his animals was how he helped share his values with everyone he came in contact with.
Hank was a proud veteran and served as a medic in World War II and the Korean War. He was the recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal for his bravery. Having grown up in Nazi Germany and being a prisoner of war, human rights were very important to him. On several occasions he put either his life, or career, on the line to protect someone else’s human rights. He worked very hard with his other relatives already living in the United States to sponsor his parents and sisters so they could come to America from the East Zone of Germany. Hank wanted to keep the family together and knew that they needed to come to America for a better life. He spent his life helping and volunteering with numerous organizations.
Hank, a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, son and friend leaves us all with a deep appreciation of life and the freedoms that we are fortunate enough to have.
Per Hank’s wishes, there will be a private celebration of Hank and Gloria’s life at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either organization that he had ties to:
People Plus
35 Union Street
Brunswick, ME 04011, or
The Travis Mills Foundation
89 Water Street
Hallowell, ME 04347
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