WILLIAM HURNI Obituary

HURNI WILLIAM MELVIN Was born on June 10, 1944 in Pittsfield, MA. He obtained a BA in Biology from Gettysburg University in 1966 and a Masters in Biology & Botany at Washington University in 1970. He married Gretchen Hagedorn in Tell City, IN February 27, 1971, and died in Lower Gwynedd, PA on December 5, 2021. He is survived by his wife Gretchen, son Matthew, daughter-in-law Elena, daughter Kathryn, and grandsons Roman and Valentin. Bill lived simply, but fully. He understood that life is finite and filled his time with interests that expanded the mind, challenged the body, and nourished the spirit. He did this at his own peril at times. From a very young age, his love of all things mechanical came in the form of radios, model airplanes, and cars. Gretchen had a sneaking suspicion his love affair for cars was greater than his love of her, until the day he allowed her to drive his 1964 GTO. That moment she knew what they shared was true love. A few years later they got married. Later, his unique interests led to other projects such as building an addition on the family home and restoring a 1960 Austin Healey Sprite and a 1968 Lotus Elan from the frame up. He loved to stay active, beginning as a runner, transitioning to swimming, then bicycling, even becoming a brown belt in Karate. Gretchen, remarked that Bill could do almost anything, except dance. Two times during his bicycling phase he had major accidents; one of which resulted in a broken neck. His wife thought it was fitting to text their kids "At hospital. Dad broke neck. Everything ok," much to their consternation. Bill worked in research at Merck Sharp and Dome and participated in the creation of many vaccines including the Chicken Pox Vaccine. Many are guilty of bringing work home with them. That cannot be said of Bill. In fact, he sometimes left things at work. Like the time he couldn't drive the motorcycle home because he didn't have any shoes. Merck kept them because they were covered with traces of radioactive material. Bill also understood how Science and Faith worked in tandem. He once voiced concern to the family Pastor about not praying much, to which the Pastor replied, "But Bill you THINK a lot. Is that not your own form of prayer?" Bill was a kind man, a helpful man, an honest and open man, and a brilliant one. He also tolerated his wife's cooking if he had ketchup, which made him a good man in Gretchen's eyes. Those who knew him understood how intelligent and contemplative he was, and he used his smarts to help others in need. In the end it was his mind, ravaged by a degenerative disease, that took him from his family and ended his life. Ever the scientist his final act was to donate his body to the Anatomy Gifts Registry. Bill lived a rich life and was eternally grateful for it. He may be gone from us now, but we know he was happy and fulfilled. Asked once if he had any regrets, he simply replied, "No." Our wish is that everyone can live the kind of life that Bill lived; it was a good one. Memorial Service to be held at United Methodist Sanctuary Church, 1346 E. Prospect Ave., North Wales, PA 19454 on May 26, 2022 at 10 A.M. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Alzheimer's Foundation, www.alzfdn.org