Louise F. Hettler, a longtime resident of Port Washington, passed away at her assisted living facility in Englewood, NJ on February 25, 2023, after a short illness. She was 97 years old.
Louise was born in Wheeling, WV in 1925 and received her B.A. in English from Bethany College, where she later taught. She moved to Port Washington in 1960 with her husband George W. “Bill” Hettler, who predeceased her in 1998. A long-time teacher of English and remedial reading, Louise also earned master’s degrees in English and reading and spent her career teaching in the Port Washington, Great Neck, and Uniondale school systems. She was also active in the United Methodist Church and volunteered during her retirement at the North Shore Animal League.
Her work for the League was dear to her heart since she loved all animals, from the birds that visited the feeders outside her kitchen window, to her pet cat Sheba, to the stray cats she occasionally adopted. She was also an accomplished knitter, displayed a deft hand at games of all sorts, and cooked an excellent holiday ham. In earlier years she cut a familiar figure in the Terrace neighborhood as she pedaled about on her green Raleigh 3-speed, and in much earlier years she was a star point guard on her high school basketball team. She loved to garden, and was good at it, too.
Nothing was more important than family to Louise, but friends were a close second. She was much loved by her neighbors on Shadyside Avenue, by members of her church, and by her colleagues and students. She will be greatly missed by her son Kurt, daughter-in-law Liza, and granddaughters Sophia and Madeleine.
Louise now rests alongside her husband of 44 years in Nassau Knowles cemetery. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the North Shore Animal League.
