Obituary of William P. Ludwig

William Paul Ludwig, 75, of Upper Deerfield Township, passed away Sunday, January 31, 2021, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he had been a patient since December 1, 2020. Born in Springfield, Illinois, Bill was the son of late Paul and Lucy Ludwig. He was also predeceased by a grandson, Paul Ludwig, Jr. Bill was the husband of Darla Fleetwood Ludwig. Before retirement, Bill was employed by the New Jersey Department of Corrections, Bayside State Prison as Corrections Captain. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and was a member of the 10th Marine Artillery Regiment serving from July 31, 1962 to July 22, 1968. In 2010, pioneered at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Bill took a chance on a first-of-its-kind cancer clinical trial called CAR T- cell immunotherapy and was their first patient. While Bill became cancer free, his luck spread to others throughout the world. Thanks to the many doctors that took care of Bill especially to Dr. Alison Loren, Dr. Carl June, Dr. Bruce Levine, Dr. David Porter and the team of specialists, research scientists, the clinical trials unit staff, the oncology/chemotherapy nurses and staff at PENN for their devotion and extraordinary work in saving lives. They are truly our family’s Heroes. Bill loved RVing with his wife, his dogs Maddie and Fozzie, his family and friends and was able to see a lot of the country the last several years of his life. Bill was a kind, loyal and generous man and an “all around good guy”. He was so loved by his family and friends and will be missed by so very many. Bill is survived by his wife Darla; two sons, Paul (Tiffany) and Stephen (Nicole); two daughters, Carol Ludwig and Neely Birdsall (Steve) Buscemi; a sister, Joyce Ludwig Sonntag and a brother, Tom Ludwig, both of Illinois. Bill is also survived by his grandchildren Linnea Ludwig, Andrew Ludwig, John Rivera, Kelsie Rivera (Nick) Fraley, Kylie Ludwig, Stephanie Ludwig, Marie Ludwig (Shawn) Holman, Deklan Ludwig, Angel McKenna, Sofia Buscemi, Lydia Buscemi, Logan Ludwig and Hannah Ludwig; several great-grandchildren; two nieces, Jill Sonntag (David) Marr and Angie Sonntag (Rich) Naddy from Illinois; and, several “Illinois” cousins. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Bill’s memory to the Center for Cellular Immunotherapy Fund, (603872), 3535 Market Street, Ste 750, Philadelphia, PA 19104 or at www.penncancer.org. Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at the PADGETT FUNERAL HOME, 1107 State Highway 77, Bridgeton on Friday, February 12th at 10:00 AM. A walk through visitation will be held from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Burial will immediately follow the services at Cumberland County Veteran’s Cemetery in Hopewell Twp.. Pastor Sal Roggio, Cumberland County Community Church will officiate. Due to current regulations associated with the Covid-19 healthcare situation, we are limited to 60 people within the funeral home at a time and the understanding and cooperation of the public is greatly appreciated. Written condolences can be sent to the family through the funeral home website at www.padgettfuneralhomes.com.