Bill Brosius (John William Brosius Jr.), 93, of Frederick County, died peacefully May 31, from heart complications after brief hospitalization and follow-on therapy following a fall at his home in April. Bill's lifelong passion was the design and construction of quality living environments, which he pursued with unique talent, creativity, and hard work as a builder, developer and involved citizen in Frederick County. In the 1960s and early 70s, he conceived and was the original developer of the innovative planned community of Lake Linganore at Eaglehead, which received national recognition for its environmentally-sensitive design and construction. Bill was born on a farm near the foot of Sugarloaf Mountain in Frederick County, first son of John William ("Will") Brosius Sr. and Louise. He grew up in Adamstown and on surrounding family farms, enjoying the work and vigor of gardening and farm life, reading, and the company of his "best friends" - his brother Lou and their 35 first cousins. Bill's brother Lou remained Bill's best friend and business partner throughout their lives together. Bill graduated from Frederick High School top of his class, and matriculated at 16 to the University of Maryland, where he was elected to Phi Kappa Phi Honorary Society and received a B.S. in Agriculture with High Honors. His lifelong concern for the environment dated, he would say, from those days before it became a public byword - "We called it conservation' then." With the attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the Army Air Corps. Hay fever kept him from becoming a pilot; instead the Army sent him to the Harvard Business School to become a statistical officer, whereupon he was assigned to logistics control for the Army Air Corps' 22nd Bombardment Group in New Guinea, standing between the Japanese and Australia. While serving, and among his other duties, he created a hardbound, photo-illustrated history for the 22nd's "Red Raiders," The Marauder. He published the book in Sydney, Australia, where he met Merle. Corresponding frequently with Merle during the war, he persuaded her to arrange passage to meet him near war's end in California, where they married. Bill's World War II service was a memorable chapter in his life. In the many decades after, he regularly attended the annual 22nd Bomb Group reunions all over the country, including the most recent one in 2012. He also contributed significantly to the creation of another extensive history of the group, Revenge of the Red Raiders by Gaylor et al. Upon his return to Frederick with Merle, he began selling war surplus Quonset huts to farmers, and creatively adapted one as his and Merle's first home in Braddock Heights. This home incorporated a number of innovative features, including built-in cabinetry, imported hardwood paneling, and radiant heating. Bill decided homebuilding was his future. Bill and Lou founded Brosius Homes in the late 40s in Frederick, and took on a local dealership for National Home's prefabricated homes. They met a need in Frederick for affordable housing, offering well-built homes with a higher standard of insulation than was common at that time. They built in a number of areas around Frederick, including Saratoga Village off W. Patrick Street, homes near Fort Detrick, and the community of Carrollton in southern Frederick west of S. Market Street. The residents of their first development, Saratoga Village, ceremoniously renamed themselves "Brigadoon" in the mid 50's after the residents voted themselves the "Happiest Village in the U.S.A." Later, Bill built homes in Pinecliff on a sloping parcel near Jug Bridge considered unsuitable for construction. There he focused on preserving the natural beauty and topography of the land, reflecting his emerging focus on better architectural and environmentally integrated design. Through his travels and research into outstanding examples of planning and design, Bill sought to compile a compendium of the elements that make up a quality living environment. He became committed to the vision of building in harmony with the land while preserving the natural environment, even at great cost and effort. He came to believe that all land improvements should incorporate excellence in design: attractive and naturally harmonious homes, neighborhoods, common spaces, roads, and facilities sensitively incorporated into the natural setting. In the late 60s and early 70s, he incorporated these concepts into the planning and development of a quality "total living environment": 4,000-acre Lake Linganore at Eaglehead, in Frederick County. A cohesively-planned complete community, it centered around villages, lakes and a golf course, with one third of the land reserved as open spaces, trails, and natural and recreational areas, and roads that followed the land's topography, creating "psychological speed limits." He continuously focused on preserving the land's natural topography, rocks, trees and other natural features as an over-arching feature of Lake Linganore. Its many unique approaches to design, planning and engineering earned national awards for "making environmental excellence a basic condition in the pursuit of corporate goals," and are still considered ahead of their time. Bill's passion for creative architectural and landscape design was expressed uniquely in his own homes that he designed and built. His family's home in Bethesda, built in the early 60s, was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture. It also featured rock gardens meticulously arranged by Bill and a notable Japanese landscaper. Later, in his home in Frederick County he combined the careful restoration of a historic log and stone house with imaginative vaulted spaces, natural tree forms indoors, and extensive landscaping. He never stopped pursuing improvements to his homestead and its verdant setting. Bill was very involved in professional and land use issues all through the years. He was the founder and first president of the Frederick County Builders Association, founded the State of Maryland Institute of Homebuilders, served on the first Planning Commission of Frederick and later served as Life Director of the National Association of Homebuilders. He introduced the concept of planned unit development and other land use practices to Frederick County. In later years, Bill's wide-ranging interests took him in many directions. He continued in real estate and local interests. In Frederick he re-designed the fountain area on North Market Street and was involved in the design of the parking garage and Carroll Creek. Ever interested in other countries, he visited over 70 in his lifetime, his touring often focusing on elements of design and landscape, which richly informed his work. As late as February this year, he spent a month visiting his friend and distant cousin Bob Brosious in French Polynesia. In the early 2000s, he pursued numerous interests and concerns, including writing a regular column for the Frederick News-Post. He read voraciously, especially non-fiction such as history, economics and biographies, and relished his extensive library. The breadth and depth of his knowledge about a wide range of topics engendered frequent stimulating conversations. He particularly enjoyed engaging others in discussions of current events and politics. Digging deep into research on innumerable subjects, including Cuba, genealogy, and politics, his "to do" list of projects never ceased growing Bill married Alicia in the early 80s. Her Cuban background awoke an interest in the travails of the people of Cuba, leading to two humanitarian trips there carrying medical supplies, among their many other travels together. Bill loved his family very much; he loved having them around and traveling to visit them. He enjoyed the opportunities he had to get to know his grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was proud of his family and was very happy that his family was so close-knit. He also loved to relate how warm his own family and parents had been, and how close he and the extended family of his youth were to each other. Bill is survived by his three children Jay (John William, III) Brosius of Sydney, Australia, Carolyn Anderson of Potomac, MD, and Anita Brosius-Scott of Camden, ME, and their spouses Sharon, Jack and Geoff; their mother and his first wife, Merle Brosius Archer of Sydney, Australia; his grandchildren Will (John William, IV) Brosius of Gypsum, CO, and Laura (Brosius) Pulscher of Colton, SD, and their spouses Anna and Toby; Tyler Anderson of Springfield, VA, and his fiancée Emily Simon, Colin Anderson of Arlington, VA, his wife Jessica, and Kristin Anderson of Potomac, MD; Tana Scott Krohn of Portland, ME, her husband Michael, and Kyle Scott of Walla Walla, WA; four great-grandchildren Heidi, Clara and Jack (John William, V) Brosius and Malcolm Pulscher; his nieces and nephew Carmen Schmersahl, Anita Sisk, Myra Brosius and Boe Brosius and their mother Angie Brosius; and his later wife Alicia Duarte Harden of The Villages, Florida. He was pre-deceased by his brother Louie Jarboe Brosius. A memorial service celebrating Bill's life will be held on Wednesday, June 19, 2013, at 10:30 am, at 6600 Plantation Road, Frederick, MD. It will be held outdoors, weather permitting, otherwise under cover. Arrangements are being handled by Keeney and Basford Funeral Home in Frederick, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a fund created at the UMD School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation for the purpose of furthering excellence in design that is in harmony with the land and preserves the natural environment. The fund will be endowed if it reaches the endowment threshold. Please make checks payable to UMCPF, Memo: "The J. William Brosius Memorial Fund" (Univ. of Md College Foundation, Inc., Ofc. of Gift Acceptance, Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Ctr., College Park, MD 20742)."
