Clifford E. Thalwitzer, construction exec

Clifford E. Thalwitzer, 83, of Summerfield, Fla., a former executive with the Philadelphia construction firm JJ White Inc., died of complications from heart problems Saturday, Sept. 7, at Arbor Village Rehab & Nursing Center in Wildwood, Fla.

A graduate of Bridgeton (N.J.) High School, Mr. Thalwitzer was a member of the New Jersey National Guard in the early 1950s.

Called to active duty during the Korean conflict, Mr. Thalwitzer was a drill sergeant at an Army base in Texas.

He was a longtime member of Steamfitters Local 420 in Philadelphia, which he had joined in 1947 while still in school, daughter Carolyn Crosley said.

"He started working for JJ White," she said, "and stayed with them for his entire career," retiring in 1995 as vice president of construction.

"A lot of the oil refineries" in the Philadelphia region figured in his career, she said.

But he was proudest of a project far from them, she said, helping to move the Liberty Bell in 1976 from Independence Hall to a pavilion on Independence Mall, to help celebrate the nation's Bicentennial.

In his private time, he was a licensed pilot and owned a single-engine plane, which he flew from airports in Burlington County.

"He was very adventurous," his daughter said, and at various times owned Indian and Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Besides his daughter, Carolyn, Mr. Thalwitzer is survived by his wife, Dixie; his former wife, Pauline; their other children, Brian Thalwitzer and Eileen Reed; three stepchildren; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A memorial service is planned for 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 25, at Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, Fla.