William T. Elliott, brewery president

William T. Elliott, 84, of Media, president of Christian Schmidt Brewing Co. when it closed in 1987, died of heart disease Monday at Lankenau Hospital.

Schmidt's was Philadelphia's last major brewery.

Its brands were sold to G. Heileman Brewing Co. of La Crosse, Wis., with the loss of 250 to 300 jobs. Three years before, the brewery had employed 1,400. The brewery, at Second Street and Girard Avenue, was not included in the sale.

Besides its own brand, Schmidt produced beers that were formerly made by other firms and were labeled Ortlieb's, Reading, Knickerbocker, Rheingold, Coqui, Erie, and Kohler, as well as McSorley's Ale.

In a statement, Mr. Elliott said at the time, "Many smaller brewers, such as Schmidt, have suffered substantial losses of volume and market share, while marketing and manufacturing costs have soared."

Its 1986 production was less than 1 percent of the national output.

In an interview that year, Mr. Elliott blamed losses on consolidation in the beer industry.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Mr. Elliott earned his bachelor's degree in business from Ohio State University in 1949 and his master's in sales and marketing from Syracuse University in 1961.

Mr. Elliott had served as a paratrooper in Italy, France, and Germany from 1943 through 1945, including combat during the Battle of the Bulge, stepson Thomas Strohmetz said.

In the 1950s, Mr. Elliott worked in sales for the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Co. in Milwaukee. From 1961 to 1976, Strohmetz said, Mr. Elliott was vice president of sales at Schmidt's, then served as president.

Besides Strohmetz, Mr. Elliott is survived by his wife, Anne; a son, Steven; a daughter, Deborah Corcoran; another stepson, Albert Strohmetz; a sister; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. His first wife, Juanita, died in 1967. His son Patrick died in 1989.

Friends may call from 9 to 10:15 a.m. tomorrow at the Donohue Funeral Home, 3300 West Chester Pike, Newtown Square, where a memorial service will follow at 10:30. Burial will be in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Marple Township.