Wilhelm “Bill” Mueller of The Villages, Florida went to be with the Lord May 11, 2020. He was surrounded by his family where he died peacefully in his home after a long struggle with cancer.
Wilhelm is survived by his wife of 59 years, Edith Mueller, daughter Melissa Mueller Hodges of Centerville Ohio and son Eric Mueller, Loveland Ohio; and his five grandchildren, Karl, Gillian, Drake, Bailey and Meghan.
Wilhelm was born July 31, 1936 in a small German farming community in Croatia. Things were happy there until after 1939 when Hitler invaded Yugoslavia and communist partisans began attacking the villagers. In 1944, the German army rescued them, and they were forced to flee with one day’s notice under a hail of gunfire. By 1945, they slowly made their way to Vienna, Austria. In 1949 his family applied for permission to immigrate to the USA, but had to get to Germany first, as the immigration quota was higher. After a long waiting period, they finally came to the USA in 1952.
Wilhelm settled with his mother, brother and extended family in Dayton, Ohio. In 1956, he graduated from Patterson Co-Op High School in Dayton, Ohio., after which he began his career in the tool and die industry.
Wilhelm met his future bride Edith Federspiel, also a German immigrant, in May 1958 after being set up on a blind date by Wilhelm’s Aunt. By December they were engaged. Wilhelm then served two years in the Army and was stationed in Germany. Upon his return, they were married in 1961.
Wilhelm and Edith resided in Dayton Ohio until 2004. Upon retirement, they moved to The Villages. Here they spent many happy years together, active in the German Club and the Beachcombers. Wilhelm loved traditional German folk music, classical music and dancing. He was a hard-working man, a loyal friend, a loving husband and a wonderful father and Opa. Services are pending at The First Baptist Church of the Villages, with interment at Bushnell National Cemetery to follow, once restrictions are lifted.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Wilhelm’s honor to Hospice of Marion County (hospiceofmarion.com).
