William "Bill" Laurita

Born –5/1/1933 Deceased – 10/17/2022 William (Bill) Laurita, 89, of Lake View Terrace, Altoona, Florida passed away on Monday, October 17th, 2022, in the care of AdventHealth Waterman Hospital. Born in Babylon, NY to the late Robert and Mary Laurita, Billy (as he was called by his family) lived in Copiague, NY, with his parents and 7 brothers and sisters. He attended school in Amityville nearby. His family always remarked that he was never without his chemistry set and he expressed an interest in pursuing a career in science, even as a young boy. Bill was also known for sitting in his attic room and listening to the classical music radio station that came out of New York City. After high school, he attended Gettysburg College in PA, and then went on to earn his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from The Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. After completing his Ph. D., Dr. Laurita, was employed by General Motors in Indianapolis, IN, where he helped develop fuel cells for the space program and worked on developing new materials used in the automotive industry. While at GM, Bill was set up, by friends, on a blind date with a secretary who also worked for GM. Her name was Rita Meggenhofen. 3 months later, they were married. In 1962 they had their only daughter, Luanne, and moved to West Virginia where Bill taught at West Liberty College in Wheeling. In 1965, the family moved to Pennsylvania as Bill took up a new position as Professor of Physical Chemistry at Kutztown State College, now known as Kutztown University. At Kutztown, Bill contributed to several published works such as textbooks and scientific magazines. He also was awarded several patents. A voracious reader of all science magazines and textbooks, and a fan of science fiction and history, Bill was usually found with a book in his hands. Bill was also an early adopter of personal technology starting with his Apple II computer. After retiring in 1993, Bill and Rita moved to Highland Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. After some time there, they finally moved to Lake View Terrace in Altoona, Florida where Bill once served as the President of the Resident’s association. However, he was probably best known as the Wii bowling champ of LVT and the volunteer who helped residents preserve their family videos by converting their VHS tapes into digital videos on CDs. Bill is survived by his wife Rita, daughter Luanne Laurita Hetz and her husband Mike Hetz, granddaughter Maria Hetz Barnes and her husband Geoff Barnes, and Bill’s sister Phyllis (Laurita) Moore. In addition to his parents, Bill was predeceased by his brothers Robert, Lawrence, Francis, Tony, and Joseph and his sister Grace (Laurita) Devoe. A private interment will be held on Monday October 24th at 2:45pm at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Leesburg, Florida. There will be no service at the deceased’s request. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Gettysburg College, The Johns Hopkins University, Doctors Without Borders, or The American Heart Association.

William "Bill" Laurita

May 1, 1933 - October 17, 2022