Obituary
Wilhelm Pfander
December 11, 1937 – November 24, 2023
Wilhelm “Willie” Pfander passed away peacefully with his loving wife by his side on November 24, 2023. He is survived by his dedicated wife Ilse, daughter Karin Pfander Weston, son-in-law Timothy Weston, and granddaughters Abigail and Sofie Weston.
Born and raised near Stuttgart, Germany, he started his long career as a shoe designer/manufacturer at the Salamander shoe factory. From 1958-1960, he attended the Technical Shoe Institute in Pirmasens, Germany to further his knowledge. He then went to Austria to be part of the expansion of an existing shoe factory. It was there he met the love of his life, Ilse. Together they made the life-changing decision to come to the United States to work and live in Maine. Willie worked at Penobscot Shoe in Old Town, Maine for the rest of his incredible career. During his professional journey, he was not only a talented designer but an innovator of shoes as well, holding several US patents for his groundbreaking designs. In March of 1978, he was awarded the American Designer Award, presented by the Leather Industries of America for his contributions to leather and fashion.
In 2000, Willie semi-retired and moved to Fort Myers, Florida, where he spent his days golfing, dancing, playing the piano and entertaining all his friends. He was the life of the party, with good music, great food, and much laughter. Whether it was being the “grill meister” making wonderful new dishes, or finding a gadget to make life a little easier, one of his biggest passions was to create something new and exciting.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, we humbly ask you make a gift to either of the following charities: Hope Hospice of Fort Myers https://hopehospice.org/donate/ or Gateway Trinity Lutheran Church https://gtlc.org/give/.
