William V. Hartleb, a retired sales executive and schoolboy athlete who spent much of his adult life as an advocate for the handicapped, died at his Ellicott City home Wednesday of pancreatic cancer. He was 76.
Mr. Hartleb, whose wife, Kay Hartleb, is Howard County register of wills, was praised by former teammates, associates and family members as a big man with a big heart who worked tirelessly for United Cerebral Palsy after his first child, William Keepers Hartleb, was born with the disease in 1958.
Retired Baltimore sportscaster Vince Bagli recalled seeing the 6-foot-4-inch Mr. Hartleb for the first time in a City College uniform at the 1950 City-Poly football game when Mr. Bagli was a 23-year old just starting out in radio. As both men aged, Mr. Bagli got to know the young athlete better.
"He was a good man; as good as I've ever known. He was a decent, caring person," Mr. Bagli said.
Mr. Hartleb was born in 1933 and raised in Baltimore, where he attended St. Paul's School before transferring to City College. There he played basketball, baseball and football, collecting six varsity letters in his three years before graduation.
Herbert J. Belgrad, a partner at the Tydings and Rosenberg law firm, also recalled Mr. Hartleb from his own days as a City College student.
"Bill was a model for his contemporaries - an outstanding athlete and student leader who was modest and well respected," Mr. Belgrad said.
After high school, Mr. Hartleb attended the University of Baltimore on scholarship, where he continued his athletic career in basketball and lacrosse. He broke off his education to serve a two-year stint in the Navy as a communications technician in Japan before returning to finish college.
"He was one of my best, lifelong friends," said Harvey C. Kasoff, a college basketball teammate. "Bill was like a brother to me. He was a warrior in sports and a warrior in life. I will miss him greatly."
In 1957, Mr. Hartleb married Kay Keepers, and the following year their first child was born. Mr. Hartleb graduated from college and went to work for the Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. In 1965, he become a manufacturer's agent for the Mitchell Love Co., and was promoted to vice president of sales in 1978. Two years later, he went to work for NIBCO Inc., where he was a regional sales manager and then vice president until his retirement in 1995. He lived with his wife in Ellicott City for 48 years.
During that time, he was active with United Cerebral Palsy.
"We owe Bill a debt of gratitude for his vision and perseverance in establishing and nurturing our educational program," said Diane Coughlin, president and CEO of the nonprofit organization.
Coughlin said Mr. Hartleb was responsible for the first purchase of a residential home for adults with disabilities - the first of 40 such homes. He also opened a school day-care program for UCP in 1963. Hartleb served as president of UCP's Parent Staff Association, served on the organization's board and was board president for six years.
He was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer in early 2007, but he continued playing golf, traveling with family and coaching his grandchildren in basketball as long as possible.
"He was my driving force," said grandson Adam Doubet, 22. "If any obstacle lay in his path, he would charge it head-on."
Kaylie Gioioso, 19, another grandchild, said his commitment to his son, known as "Keeps," impressed her the most. "It was his completely selfless, boundless love and total devotion to his son Keeps that made him such a remarkable man," she said.
A funeral Mass is scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. at St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church at 740 N. Calvert St.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years; his son, of Ellicott City; two daughters, Laurie Hartleb Doubet of Columbia and Holly Hartleb Gioioso of Ruxton; and seven grandchildren.