Letter to the Editor: Honoring the Life of South Brunswick's William Himmel

During the sixty years of my life in South Brunswick, I had the privilege to know a special man that I considered a friend. A hardworking man - the kind with a strong back and muscles made hard by those long days tending to the family farm. Having the knowledge and skills that such a life required. A man that all could look upon with great respect: William Himmel of Davidson Mill Road.

Mr. Himmel just recently passed away, but my memory of him will remain with me for the rest of my days.

The Himmel family farm is located in the colonial village area of Fresh Ponds in South Brunswick. Some of the land is located in an area where huge ancient trees still stand. Himmel told me a story of a woodsman who lived there in a hut over a century ago and harvested trees for large poles. The Himmel family recently had a section of this land preserved by South Brunswick Township and Middlesex County, and is now added to Ireland Brook County Park.

My favorite memory of Mr. Himmel happened when he was in his late seventies. I went with him into his woods to help him load some dead trees to be used as firewood. He repeatedly jumped on and off of his tractor as I helped him load wood onto the trailer. It was an amazing sight to have witnessed this “old” man work so hard and be so tough.

Bill then stood in a spot where the sunlight managed to sift through the trees. He told me that he had been in those woods his entire life.

“Billy, I love these woods,” he told me.

An unforgettable moment by a tough man - a tough man that never forgot the importance of saving the environment.

As time passes, the legacy of Bill Himmel will never be forgotten. The Middlesex County land preservation sign on his beloved field and woods is the proof.

William Klimowicz

South Brunswick