C. Schlosser Obituary

C. William Schlosser died May 18, 2005 in Montecito, California of complications of old age. Bill Schlosser was born April 21st, 1922 in Defiance, Ohio to Harold and Helen Schlosser. He went to public school in Defiance. He entered Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts in the class of 1944 that graduated in 1943 on account of World War ll. He served three years in the Army Medical Corp doing stints in the Philippines and elsewhere before being discharged in 1945 as a Staff Sergeant. He met Nancy Bryson, the love of his life, on a blind date at Colorado College in 1947. During their 56 year marriage, they had three children and eight grandchildren, all of whom survive him, as does his sister who lives in Columbus, Ohio. His children are: Nancy Elizabeth Schlosser, Mary Bryson Schaefer, C. William "Chuck" Schlosser, Jr. His grandchildren are: Savannah Cass Jordan, Wallis Lanier Jordan, Amy Elizabeth Slothower, William Hill Slothower, John Bryson Slothower, Lauren Walker Schaefer, William Otto Schlosser and Lillian Dunbar Schlosser. He was active his entire business career in the manufacturing of mechanics hand tools. He became President of his father's company, Lectrolite Corp, of Defiance, Ohio in 1960. When his father sold the company to Dresser Industries, Bill remained President of Lectrolite and was appointed CEO of three other Dresser subsidiaries: the Sherman-Klove Corporation, Krauter Tool Company and Nye Pipe Tools. In 1965 he joint ventured a new manufacturing company with Sears Roebuck & Co. called Western Forge Corporation in Colorado Springs, Colorado to manufacture Craftsman hand tools for Sears. At its height, Western Forge employed over 1000 people in Colorado Springs and Canon City. He ran Western Forge for 16 years before selling the business to Emerson Electric Company of St. Louis in 1981. He and his wife, Nancy, traveled the world for the next 20 years before settling in Santa Barbara, California in 1994. Bill had a lifelong interest in commercial banking and served as a director of: the Exchange National Bank of Colorado Springs, the Colorado National Bank of Denver and Mountain Banks, Ltd. He also served on the Board of Directors of: the Stratton Home, Woodford Manufacturing, Goodwill Industries and the Penrose Hospital. Schlosser was a accomplished golfer with a near scratch handicap in his prime. In 1946 he played an exhibition match in Ohio with the legendary Bryron Nelson. A jazz aficionado, he organized and sponsored many jazz concerts in Colorado Springs and Santa Barbara. Schlosser was also involved over the years as a member and, sometimes, on the board of many golf and social clubs, including: the Birnam Wood Club, the the Valley Club, the Craft Club and the Santa Barbara Club in California and the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club, the Garden of the Gods Club, the El Paso Club and the Broadmoor Cooking Club in Colorado. Bill could not resist telling a story when it was appropriate and sometime when it was not. Bill and Nancy supported many charitable organizations including Direct Relief International, the Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara, the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center and Colorado College. Donations in Bill's name can be made to these entities or others of the donor's choice. Following cremation, Bill's remains will be interred at the Helen Decker Bryson Memorial Columbarium at the Broadmoor Community Church in Colorado Springs. A memorial service will be held for close friends at the Valley Club on Wednesday, June 1, between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. A subsequent memorial service will be held at the Church in Colorado Springs on June 25 at 4:00 p.m. A reception will follow at the Cheyenne Mountain Country Club.