Donald Hetzel

Donald Frederic Hetzel, age 94, of Whiting, NJ, passed away on the morning of March 17, 2025. He was born July 20, 1930, the only child of Fred Hetzel and Clara Anderson. He grew up on Furlong Avenue in the Manoa section of Havertown and graduated from Haverford High School. He then received a B.A. in Business in 1954 from Ursinus College, in Collegeville, Pa., where he played three years of varsity soccer and was a member of the Sigma Rho Lambda fraternity. On August 1, 1953, Don married Constance Emma Wickersham. They lived in the Haverford, Pa., area, before moving in the early sixties to the Barclay Farm section of Cherry Hill, N.J., where they raised three daughters.

For many years, Don worked in information technology for RCA and McGraw Hill, retiring from Datapro Research in 1989. He also taught a course on the effective use of computer resources as an adjunct professor at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University). Upon retiring, Don and Connie lived in LeisureTowne (Southampton, N.J.), before moving to Crestwood Manor (Whiting, N.J.). An avid musician, tennis player, and digital-data enthusiast, Don volunteered with multiple organizations, appeared in numerous stage productions, and played his uniquely strung banjo in several “gut bucket” bands.

Don also was proud of his service as a weatherman in the Navy in the 1950s.

He is survived by his wife of 72 years as well as daughters Nancy Katherine Olsen (Bob) of Mullica Hill, N.J.; Susan Constance Hetzel (Peter Meade) of Carlsbad, Calif.; and Sandra Donna Hetzel (Jennifer Keltner) of Portland, Ore., along with grandchildren Rebecca Rose Olsen of Kennett Square, Pa., and Ethan Stone Meade of Los Angeles.

There will be a private burial at Valley Forge Memorial Gardens. As a tireless advocate for liberal arts education, donations in Don’s name can be made to the Hetzel Family Scholarship at Ursinus College.

Anderson & Campbell Funeral Home, 115 Lacey Rd. Whiting, NJ 08759 is in charge of the funeral arrangements. To post a tribute, please visit www.andersoncampbellwhiting.com.