Obituary
William (Bill) H. Van Duzer
12/24/1937 – 1/22/2023
Bill Van Duzer passed away peacefully on 1/22/23 with his daughter Beth and son Stewart by his side. The family is comforted in knowing that he is now in a better place in heaven with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and is also reunited with his wife of 42 years Carolyn who predeceased him on 6/12/2020.
Bill was born in Elmira, NY but moved with his family as a child to Ft Myers. He graduated from Ft. Myers high school. After graduating HS Bill started working with a large roofing contractor Giffen Industries. He and his first wife, Marilena, lived for a short time in Jacksonville before moving to Ft. Myers Beach in 1962. Stewart was born in Jacksonville before they moved and Beth was born in Ft. Myers after they settled on Ft. Myers Beach. After working in the roofing business for a number of years Bill met Jim Midgley who was a builder on Ft. Myers Beach. He went to work for Midgley Inc. and ultimately secured his Class A General Contractors license. After a divorce from his wife Marilena, Bill bought the construction business from Jim Midgley. It would later be renamed Van Care Construction.
Bill met Carolyn, the love of his life, while getting some periodontal work done. It was love at first sight. They married in March of 1979. She was everything to him. She had 2 daughters from a previous marriage. Shelley and Suzie moved to the beach with their Mom. Later on Bill adopted Shelley and Suzie so they became Van Duzer’s as well.
Over the years Bill would build or renovate more homes on Ft. Myers Beach than any other single builder. He also completed many commercial projects. But besides work he was also a devoted father. He was very active with the Ft. Myers Little League and Babe Ruth League. He was a coach, umpire, concession stand volunteer, batting cage builder, etc, etc. He was an avid photographer capturing his son’s athletic endeavours and his daughters band performances with his camera.
Bill was also very active with the Ft. Myers Beach Lions Club and Lions International. He was always very involved in the annual Shrimp Festival. He was a District Governor with the Lions and an International Director. He and Carolyn traveled extensively with the Lions. Carolyn also became a member. Ultimately Bill became a lifetime member of Lions International.
After Ft. Myers Beach incorporated and became a city Bill became very involved with the city council and actually served a term as Mayor of Ft. Myers Beach.
Bill and Carolyn retired in Marathon, FL for a short time before health issues forced them to move back to the mainland where they bought a place in North Ft Myers. Altzheimers struck Carolyn shortly thereafter. After her passing Bill’s health quickly declined and Dementia took its toll on him.
Bill is survived by his son Stewart and 3 daughters Beth, Shelley, and Suzie. He has 10 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren to date.
A “celebration of life service” will be held at 1:30 PM on 2/11/23 at Baldwin Brothers Funeral Home 4320 Colonial Blvd Ft. Myers, FL.
Family and friends may sign the guest register by visiting www.baldwincremation.com.
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