William Hanger

WATERFORD — William Sherwood Hanger, 72, died Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018.

Bill was born in 1945 in Welch, West Virginia, the son of Robert J. and Ellen Hanger. His childhood was spent in Rochester, N.Y. and Westfield, N.J. After graduating from The Pingry School in 1964, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1968 and then a master’s in Education in 1972 from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

He and his college sweetheart, Nancy (Miami 1968), continued to live and raise two daughters in Oxford, as Bill was first an assistant registrar, then assistant provost, then spent the last 17 years of his career as director of Institutional Advancement, serving as a lobbyist for Miami University and an advocate for higher education in the state of Ohio. Upon his retirement, both houses of the Ohio General Assembly issued proclamations and allowed him the rare privilege of speaking to the legislators in their chambers. He loved politics and believed in public service.

He was elected to the Oxford City Council, volunteered as the vice president of the local NAACP chapter and served for 18 years on the Greater Dayton Public Television board of directors. His greatest joy was advising and mentoring student groups and individuals and encouraging them to make a difference in the world.

His love of Maine began in 1958 as a camper and then counselor at Camp Waganaki. His parents built a home on McWain Pond in Waterford, where the camp was located, and he and his family vacationed there every summer. McWain Pond was the logical retirement destination for him and Nancy to build their home on the lake and move permanently from Ohio in 1999.

He became active in the Oxford Hills Growth Council, Maine Adaptive Skiing, Waterford Planning Board of Appeals, and served for 10 years on the Oxford Hills School Board. He and his wife of 51 years loved traveling the world, hiking and nature. For over a decade, he placed a loon nest platform in the cold spring lake waters and watched 13 loon chicks hatch and fledge the nest.

His other special place was Sanibel Island, Fla., where he loved shelling and serving on the board of the Island Inn, where five generations of his family have enjoyed visiting.

Bill loved meeting people and within minutes he would know their life history. One granddaughter once said, “Nana, please don’t let Grandfather talk to anyone else so we can get going.” He lit up a room and made others feel special and valued.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy; daughter Lisa Fraley of Raymond; daughter Jill Patton, three granddaughters of Liberty Township, Ohio; brother Robert “Woody” Hanger; and a nephew of Oxford, Ohio.

Online condolences may be shared with his family at www.oxfordhillsfuneralservices.com

A celebration of his life will take place at a later date so for those who may wish, a memorial gift in his name may be given to two post-secondary educational scholarships: SAD 17, 232 Main Street, Suite 2, South Paris, Maine 04281 with a notation of “Aspire Higher” in the memo line, or The Robert Judy Hanger Scholarship, Miami University Murstein Alumni Center, 525 East Chestnut Street, Oxford, Ohio 45056. Arrangements are under the care of Oxford Hills Funeral Services, 1037 Main Street, Oxford.