Hatboro WW II Vet Who Just Met Obama Dies At 108

HATBORO, PA -- Hatboro's Sgt. Bill Mohr, a World War II vet who met President Obama on Veterans Day last month, has passed away at the age of 108.

Mohr, thought to be one of the oldest surviving veterans of World War II in the United States, almost didn't make it out of his childhood. In 1911, at the age of 2, a doctor accidentally cut part of his tongue and throat, leaving him with a speech impediment and difficulty swallowing. In that era of no penicillin, he was expected to die. Miraculously, he survived.

During the war Mohr served under the late General Omar Bradley, in the 45th Infantry division, and spent the war in Germany, North Africa, France, and Italy, eventually earning the rank of sergeant. He remembers the aerial fights over the Mediterranean between the Germans, British, and Americans. He remembers when he helped liberate the German town of Dachau and the Dachau concentration camp.

He also remembers General George S. Patton: “I met Patton and I’ll tell you what—you don’t forget him, boy!”

Mohr served abroad from 1943 to 1945 and was presented the French award of the Legion of Honor, Chevalier for his help in invading St. Tropez in 1944. He wore the medal at his 104th birthday party in 2012.

He married his wife Josephine (Josie) in 1943 and they have four children, William, Jr., Joanne, Gary, and Rick, along with five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. They moved to Hatboro in 1926, and Mohr can describe horses and buggies dotting the road, blacksmiths and harness makers. He designed the house that he lived in with his wife until her death in 2015.

“He was a very nice man, he was very good to me. He loved me very much,” his wife Josie said in 2012.

The pair were married for 72 years.

After the war he and his twin brother Joseph started a landscaping business called Mohr Brothers Nursery. Mohr later worked at a Hatboro hosiery factory called Oscar Nable. After that he worked at a Warminster machine shop called Pressure Products, where he made machine parts for nuclear generators that powered submarines. Mohr worked until he was 93 and drove a car until he was 97.

A self-published poet, Mohr also enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and watching “Two and a Half Men” with his wife. He also loved animals. “I would never go hunting again. I would go out with a camera,” he said.

Despite tragedies and war, said his son Gary, his father remains enthusiastic. “He’s a man with a zest for life, and that’s why I think he’s lived to this age,” he said.

Mohr was the oldest resident of Hatboro at the time of his death.

Image courtesy U.S. Rep. Fitzpatrick.