William "Bill" R. Nolte, 93, a longtime resident of Fairhope, died Feb. 26, 2012 from complications of a stroke. His life was a story of self determination Bill was one of 13 children born to an immigrant family in Baltimore, Md. As a teenager he moved to Illinois and attended Nutrier High School in Winnetka, followed by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he received a bachelor of science degree in engineering. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946. He worked for Douglas Aircraft in California, the U.S. Patent Department in Washington D.C., Piasecki Aircraft and the Burroughs Corporation in Pennsylvania. He also worked with the Budd Co. and moved with them to Michigan. After retirement, he and his wife, May, were invited to visit Fairhope by their close friend, Eva Gaitling. Charmed by the town, they moved in 1983. Bill loved any kind of vigorous outdoor activity. Even in the 1940s he was criss-crossing the U.S. to get to California and so he could surf at Santa Monica and explore Yosemite with his brother, Herman. His off-beat affability and humor, aesthetic sensibility and intellectual curiosity were equally dominant characteristics. The simple tasks of life were performed with great panache and his interests ranged from modern art to gardening to Roman history. Previous spouses were Jane Levis Carter, May Davis Hill, and Mallory Cutrer. He is survived by his daughter, Martha Nolte Kennedy and her husband, Raoul D Kennedy, of San Francisco Calif., Catherine Levis Earnshaw Huston and her husband, Joseph H Huston, Coatesville Penn., and Jeannine Levis Earnshaw Adams and her husband, William E. Adams, of Medfield, Ma.; three grandchildren: Kalina S King of Hong Kong, Theodore W King of Hong Kong and Harold C King, San Francisco; two sisters, Ruth Nolte and Esther Nolte, of Baltimore Md. The funeral services will be private.
