Former New Milford Mayor William Hartlein died Saturday, May 3 in Mandeville, La. He was 82.
Mr. Hartlein, along with Maryann, his wife of 29 years, were staying at the home of Christine Gyenis, the youngest of his nine stepchildren when he passed away.
The cause of death was complications from a stroke.
Mr. Hartlein was a Jersey City native and a Marine Corps veteran of World War II.
He moved to New Milford in the 1950s and became involved in local politics. Hartlein served on the council, and was elected mayor in 1964. He served in that post for two years.
Mr. Hartlein later left the borough in the 1970s, moving to upstate New York because of his job in the paper and pulp industry.
After that, he settled at the Jersey Shore where he and his wife were proprietors of the Casa Bahama, a motel in Wildwood Crest with a tropical theme.
The Hartleins ran the motel from 1989 until 2005. The motel was featured in a 1998 Associated Press article about efforts to promote and preserve 1950s-era motels in the Wildwoods.
After selling the motel, that is now no longer in operation, the Hartleins moved to Woodstown.
Besides his wife and his stepdaughter, Mr. Hartlein is also survived by four children from his first marriage, William Hartlein of New Milford, Eric Hartlein of Athens, Ga., Karen Gill of Newman, Ga., and Sharon Scadron of Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; eight other stepchildren, Anthony Flynn of Mullica Hill, John Flynn of Bryn Mawr, Pa., Maryann Flynn of Pilesgrove, Patricia Hutkin of Delaware, Stephanie Steinmeyer of Williamstown, Stephen Flynn of Astor, Fla., Barabara Ogborne of Swedesboro, and Karen Fylnn-Casey of Castleton, N.Y.
He is also survived by many grandchildren and step-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was offered Friday, May 9 at St. Joseph’s R.C. Church in Woodstown, with burial in Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, Pa.
The H.T. Layton Funeral Home in Woodstown handled arrangements.
