William Woodrow “Bill” Hart was a major league baseball player and a minor league player and manager from 1935 to 1952. He was born in Wiconisco, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, on March 4, 1913, and died in Camp Hill, Cumberland County, on July 29, 1968. He was married to Anna [Trompeter] Hart who was born October 16, 1917 in Lykens and died there on April 23, 2008. Anna was a skilled seamstress who worked for a local clothing manufacturer until retirement. She also was very active in Our Lady Help of Christians Catholic Church in Lykens, serving there on a Parish Council.
The obituary of Bill Hart, which was sent out by the Associated Press, is presented here as it appeared in the Evening Times, Sayre, Pennsylvania, July 30, 1968. There are errors in the text which have been pointed out previously on this blog.
(1) When Hart managed the Cairo team, that 1949 team did not win the pennant of the Kitty League. In the race for the pennant, the Cairo Dodgers finished second. In the league tournament which took place after the season concluded the top four teams played in two rounds. Cairo won in the semi-final round and proceeded to the final round. In what was supposed to be a best of seven series, Cairo was behind two games to one. By mutual agreement the series was suspended due to severe weather. It was never resumed and there was no declared winner.
(2) The second error is that the Santa Barbara team won the pennant of the California League in 1951, not 1952. In addition to winning the pennant, Santa Barbara also won the Governor’s Cup for winning the post season tournament.
(3) Hart did not play on the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1946 – he has no stats for that year.
Bill Hart, Jr., Ex-Pro Baseball Player Dies
HARRISBURG (AP) — William W. Hart Jr., who spent 16 years in professional baseball including three with the old Brooklyn Dodgers, is dead at the age of 58.
Hart, who lived at nearby Lykens, died Monday in Holy Spirit Hospital in the suburb of Camp Hill. He suffered from a liver ailment.
From 1943 to 1946 [sic], Hart played third base and shortstop with the Dodgers, hitting .207 in 95 games. He had 23 runs batted in. Most of his career was spent in the minor leagues.
In 1949, Hart led Cairo, Illinois, to the Kitty League pennant as a player-manager [sic]. He was the league’s leading hitter that year with a .407 batting average.
Another team he played for and managed was Santa Barbara, California, which won the California League pennant in 1952 [sic].
Hart first entered baseball in 1935 with the Harrisburg Senators in the now defunct New York-Penn League. The following year he played for York.
His baseball career ended in 1952 when he suffered a back injury while playing for Ashville, North Carolina, and was forced to retire.
Survivors included the widow, Mrs. Anna T. Hart, three children and a grandchild, all of the Harrisburg area.
Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady Help of Christians Church in Lykens Thursday with interment in the Wiconisco Cemetery.
The obituary of Anna T. Hart appeared in the Pottsville Republican and Herald, April 25, 2008:
Anna T. Hart – April 23, 2008
Anna T. Hart, 90, of Lykens, passed away Wednesday at home.
She attended the former St. Mary’s Catholic High School, was formerly employed as a seamstress by Bobbi Rogers, Wiconisco, was a member of Our Lady Help of Christians Church, the Parish Council of Catholic Women and enjoyed baking and gardening.
Born in Lykens, October 16, 1817, she was a daughter of the late Henry Trompeter and Florence [Grimm] Trompeter, was the wife of the late William W. Hart Jr. and was also preceded in death by a twin sister, Mary Trompeter and a brother Louis Trompeter.
Surviving are two sons, William D. Hart III, Lykens; Larry J. Hart, Tower City; a daughter, Patricia Brassington, Harrisburg; four sisters, Sarah Kinsey and Louise Breit, both of Harrisburg; Martha Bechtel, Millersburg, and Christine Unger, Wiconisco; nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday to her church, 732 E. Main Street, with Father C. Anthony Miller as celebrant. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until time of Mass at the church. Interment will be in Our Lady of Christians Cemetery . Memorial contributions to honor Anna’s life may be made to Our Lady Help of Christians Church, 732 E. Main Street, Lykens, Pennsylvania 17048 or to Compassionate Care Hospice, 100 E. Brown Street, Middletown, Pennsylvania 17057.
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Background information for this post was provided by Lynda Wiest, of Reno, Nevada, formerly of Wiconisco.
Obituaries from Newspapers.com.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.