- Date Of Death: July 18, 2020
- State: Pennsylvania
FLICKWilliam Ortlieb Flick, age 80, of Hershey’s Mill, passed away on July 18, 2020, peacefully in the home of his son and daughter-in-law in Rosemont, PA. He was surrounded by family and friends. Beloved husband of Joan Christine Connolly Flick. Devoted father of Mary-Helene “MH” Taylor (James) and William Ortlieb Flick, Jr., (Leslie). Loving grandfather of William, Nina, Charles, and Maximilian. He is survived by his brothers Edward and Paul, and his sister, Kristin F. Strid; 17 nieces and nephews and numerous relatives and valued friends. Also predeceased by his parents, Manuel and Helene Ortlieb Flick, and his beloved brother, Peter oldest of the five Flick children, Bill attended Waldron Academy, Archbishop Prendergast High School, Monsignor Bonner High School, Columbia University, and Villanova University. He grew up in Merion Park and spent summers at the shore in Margate and Ventnor where he ultimately met his wife, Joan. While rowing at Monsignor Bonner, Bill helped found the Manuel Flick Regatta, a series of weekly races now known as the Manny Flicks, along with his father and brother Ned. The Manny Flicks includes scholastic crews that are part of the Philadelphia Scholastic Rowing Association (PSRA) as well as clubs from New Jersey and New York. Bill and his family have continued the tradition begun by his father and award the Manny Flick Point Trophy each continued rowing at Columbia University and with the Vesper Boat Club, where he and John B. Kelly Jr. competed in the world championships in Poland in 1958. In addition to competing, he also helped coach successful rowing teams. Rowing remained very important to him throughout his life, and he used “strokeoarsman1” as part of his email address. While at Villanova, Bill enjoyed his involvement with Turf and Tinsel, which was an all-male musical comedy group, and also was a manager for the swim 1962, he married Joan Connolly at St. Thomas of Villanova Chapel. He initially worked for the family business, The Henry F. Ortlieb Brewing Company, and then owned a beer distributorship, Flicko Associates, in Allentown, PA. He then joined Van Munching & Company and was the Southeast Pennsylvania Representative for Heineken Beer. He ultimately finished his professional career selling real estate for Prudential Fox & Roach. He loved his family and friends and always loved a good party. Bill loved to tell old stories about the Ortlieb brothers, his family’s days in Margate and Ventnor, his summers at Camp Shahola and his crew stories. He was an avid Philadelphia sports fan, particularly The Eagles and Villanova sports, served several years as a PIAA football official, and never missed watching a game. While attending Columbia, he became a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, which his son later joined when he also attended Columbia University, making the two “brothers.” He loved attending his son’s sporting events and never missed a game. Bill loved his children and all of their friends. He coached his son’s youth football team and became a “second father” to many. He regularly visited his daughter and son at college and all their friends came to know that they would be the beneficiaries of several complimentary cases of Heineken when Mr. Flick arrived. Bill also loved Broadway musicals and singing around the piano with family and friends. Many holidays were spent with his daughter playing the piano while he belted out show tunes, especially Rodgers and Hammerstein. Family was most important to Bill. He loved his wife, children, nieces and nephews and treated his daughter and son in law, Leslie and Jim, like they were his own. Of all the things he loved most in this world, however, there was nothing more important to him than to hear – “Hi Big Bill!”, the name he chose to be called by his grandchildren. He loved, adored, and cherished them and he lived for the moments when they would visit, call, and more recently “face time” him. Nothing would put a bigger smile on his face than when he was with them.
