Diane and William (Bill) Hetzel

Born in different cities of the Quad Cities, Diane in Moline, Illinois, and Bill in Davenport, Iowa, the two met and dated when seniors at Davenport High School. Diane’s family had moved to Davenport when she was a young child.  Separation while in college did not dampen the romance and Diane and Bill married in 1963.

By then, Diane had completed her studies in English and journalism at Grinnell and was working in the advertising department of Davenport’s Quad City Times.  Immediately after the wedding, the Hetzels moved to Germany, where Bill served for two years with the United States Army Ordnance Corps. The base was outside of Hanau and they lived nearby in the small town of Grosskrotzenburg. Bill, the first of three sons, was born in the US Army hospital in Frankfurt. He resides in New York City. Stephen (deceased 2015) lived in California; and John, wife Madeline, and their two children, live in Southbury, Connecticut.

In 1982, with her children no longer needing full-time attention, Diane completed the courses at Lynchburg College (today University of Lynchburg) needed for obtaining a teaching certificate.  She then worked on an almost daily schedule at Heritage High School and Brookville High School until they left Lynchburg in 1986.

Bill graduated from The University of Iowa with a major in engineering. Upon completion of his service with the Army Ordnance Corps, Bill entered a three-year Manufacturing Management Program with General Electric, each year spent at a different GE facility--Roanoke, Virginia, followed by Phoenix, Arizona, and finally Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. During his 36 years with GE, Bill held positions in manufacturing, plant operations management and corporate consulting with placement from 1968 to 1986 in Lynchburg, 1986-1988, Charlottesville, and 1988 until retirement in 2001 in Connecticut.  They returned to Lynchburg in 2003.

Shortly after settling in their home in Connecticut, Diane joined the staff at Choate Rosemary Hall, an independent boarding and day school in Wallingford, CT.  She worked in the Communications Office and at the time of her retirement in 2003 held the position of Production Manager.

With retirement, the Hetzels returned to Lynchburg and became involved in a number of activities.  Both play golf and enjoy singing. They first joined the Lynchburg College Choral Union and are still active in singing with this group.  They also have sung with the St John’s Episcopal church Choir for special concert programs and traveled with the choir to England to sing evensongs as choir in residence at Wells Cathedral, St David Cathedral and Gloucester Cathedral.  Bill is a member of the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church Choir, Diane and Bill’s church home.  Bill is also member of the Jefferson Choral Society for the past 5 years. Diane is a long-term volunteer tutor for students at Perrymont Elementary School, while Bill, through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide program, has assisted individuals with completing their federal and state income tax returns.  Bill has also been an active board member of Opera on the James for nine years.