Wilhelm “Willi” Pohl, 83

July 11, 1939 - January 29, 2023

Wilhelm “Willi” Pohl, 83, was called home by our Lord on January 29, 2023. Born in Wixhausen bei Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany, Willi was the son of Wilhelm and Marie (Hess) Pohl, Wixhausen. After graduating from trade school, Willi was drafted by the German Army Corp of Engineers to restore Germany to its pre-WWII infrastructure. In 1961, his stint in the army was extended due to the construction of the Berlin wall. Soon after he was discharged, Willi, his first wife Edeltraud “Edel” and their baby Mariann, immigrated to Lancaster County in 1962 and soon became a renowned master plasterer. After the death of his beloved Edel in 2000, Willi met his current wife, Carolyn (Beach) Pohl. Willi and Carolyn recently celebrated 21 wonderful years together.

Willi was a devoted husband and family man and enjoyed life to the fullest with family and friends. He thoroughly enjoyed picnics, dancing, pinochle, traveling, watching and playing soccer. Willi excelled as the #11 left wing on the Lancaster United Soccer Team and was well known for his Penalty Kick abilities. He even traveled to Germany to play against a Bavarian soccer team who previously played in Lancaster.

Willi was very proud of his German heritage and traveled to Germany countless times to see family and friends in both Hessen and Bavaria. He celebrated his German heritage in Lancaster by eating, drinking, dancing, singing in the chorus and volunteering at the Lancaster Liederkranz. Willi poured his heart and soul into the Lancaster Liederkranz taking on such roles as master plasterer, trustee, bartender, potato peeler and dish washer. If there was a job to do, Willi volunteered. In 2017, Willi was delighted to receive his 50-year Honorary Membership from the Lancaster Liederkranz.

Willi’s sense of adventure took him throughout Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He explored north to Ontario, Canada throughout the states to the southernmost point of the US, Key West, FL. Willi was in awe of the Grand Canyon and the stunning buttes in Sedona, AZ and was dazzled by the sheer beauty of St. Thomas and St. John, Virgin Islands. He even toured Brazil with friends from the Lancaster Liederkranz only to discover German communities there as well.

When he wasn’t getting together with friends, dancing or traveling, Willi was fascinated with the American Indian culture and the American Old West and watched quite a few western movies and television shows.

Willi was a one-of-a-kind, kind, selfless, loving man who brought immense joy and humor to those around him. Wir werden ihn nie vergessen. (We will never forget him.)

Willi was preceded in death by his cherished wife of 39 years, Edeltraud (Jähnert) Pohl. Willi and Edel are survived by two children, Mariann Slater, Lititz, and Sylvia Broam and her husband Chris, Lititz, as well as four grandchildren, Wyatt Zong, Alexis, Angela and Abigail Slater and five great-grandchildren.

Of his siblings residing in Germany, Willi was preceded in death by one sister, Rosemarie “Ria” Preis, and two brothers, Robert and Werner Pohl, and is survived by Ernst Pohl and his wife Kathe, Grasellenbach, Germany, Erika Benz, Merkenfritz , Germany, Manfred Pohl and his wife Rosemarie, Eich, Germany and Helga Jäger, wife of the late Wolfgang Jäger, Wixhausen, Germany.

Willi is also survived by brothers and sisters-in-laws Georg Heinz Simon and his wife Kathy, Millersville, Charlie Beach and his wife Sandi, Lancaster, Cynthia Bylotas and her husband Jamie, Harrisburg and Eileen Blazek and her husband David, Phoenixville.

The family will receive friends and relatives at the Charles F. Snyder, Jr. Funeral Home and Crematory, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz on Saturday, February 18, 2023 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. followed by an 11:00 a.m. service. Entombment at Conestoga Memorial Memory Gardens, Ephrata, will be private.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be sent to the Dementia Society of America, P.O. Box 600, Doylestown, PA 18901.

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