William Alwine, Jr.

William (Bill) Alwine Jr., a long-term resident of Chalfont, passed away Tuesday, June 28, 2022. He was 86. Born in Audubon, NJ on December 11, 1935, he was the son of the late William and Mathilde (Reck) Alwine. Bill’s father was a bookkeeper for meat packing plants that demanded frequent family relocations. To address the challenges that came with the moves, Bill took an intense interest in engineering. He often spent his time visiting libraries and discussing with adults how equipment worked to satisfy his curiosity. He was a child prodigy who designed and built an alternating current electric bug zapper (to kill the bugs and roaches coming from the bakery below their apartment) and, as a senior in high school, won the Philadelphia city-wide Franklin Institute science fair for the design of a microwave hamburger cooker. We all laugh today that his mother never knew the danger of what he was working on! A maverick at heart, Bill took the road less traveled in his career. He attended Drexel University but left early to earn the Professional Engineer credentials, begin his career and start a family with his wife Nancy who he met at Temple University. Bill’s design work was quite varied and spanned automating a blasting cap production line at Atlas Chemical Industries to designing the electronics for chemical pump equipment at Neptune Chemical Pump and for paper folding/gluing machines at B&R Moll. A self-professed perfectionist, he strove and achieved par excellence in his work. He was proud that his designs were safe, highly reliable, and used worldwide. Between his engineering jobs and having earned an education degree from Temple University, Bill worked for the Philadelphia School District teaching technical trades at the John F. Kennedy Vocational Center and Dobbins Technical School. During his time teaching, Bill was a sole proprietor of Alwine Electric (electrical contractor company) and A&W Engineering. The family has fond memories of helping dad on contracting jobs and watching him work at his drafting table in the garage where he did his best work. To support a large family, Bill worked hard; but he found time, especially later in life, to pursue his many interests with Nancy. He was an avid gardener (vegetable and ornamental), dog lover, railroad afficionado, art lover, antiquer, home remodeler/decorator, reader, and homeopathic medicine expert. He especially enjoyed trips to Nantucket with Nancy, but his deepest love was for his family. Bill is survived by Nancy (Rommel), his wife of 61 years; six children Susan Ehnot (David), Scott, Amy Bouffard (Dave), Keith, Chris (Jeanette) and Jon (Amanda) and 12 grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister Carolyn Jackson (Tom) and by a niece and three nephews. Everyone describes Bill as a caring and kind person who always put others above himself. In his last years, he cared for Nancy as she struggled with a long-term illness. He loved spending time with his children. We will always treasure him, lending an ear to listen, his valuable perspectives and advice, his strong words of encouragement and his wonderful stories that he so loved to share. The funeral service will be held on Friday, July 8th at the Scanlin-McDonald Funeral Home in Chalfont at 11:00am. Friends and family are invited for visitation after 10:00am. Interment will be private at Whitemarsh Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory can be made to the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Scanlin McDonald Funeral Home is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: William Alwine, Jr. Funeral Service Time: Jul 8, 2022 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/93624483117?pwd=ZjdjRGxxeWtWaDh3d2NrM3dCNDFTQT09 Meeting ID: 936 2448 3117 Passcode: 109817 One tap mobile +16469313860,,93624483117#,,,,*109817# US +13017158592,,93624483117#,,,,*109817# US (Washington DC) Dial by your location +1 646 931 3860 US +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 646 876 9923 US (New York) +1 669 444 9171 US +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose) Meeting ID: 936 2448 3117 Passcode: 109817 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acldn3oNZs