James K. Towers Jr.
retired inspector James K. Towers Jr., a former East Hempfield Township inspector and zoning officer, died Tuesday morning at his home, 1541 Santa Barbara Drive, after a long illness. He was 67. He was the husband of Florence Pyle Towers. The couple observed their 46th wedding anniversary on May 26. Towers retired as a building inspector and zoning officer for East Hempfield Township. Before that, he worked for Huth Engineers Inc. for 13 years. Towers, a marine architect, was previously the owner and operator of a boat-building business in Lancaster and a designer for Trojan Yacht Co. for seven years. A U.S. Army Air Force veteran of World War II, he was a graduate of Admiral Farragut Academy in Toms River, N.J. He also graduated from the Westlawn School of Yacht Design. Towers was a life member of the Susquehanna Yacht Club and a member of the U.S. Power Squadron, for which he taught boating courses. He was a member of Highland Presbyterian Church, where he was a deacon and member of the board of trustees. Born in Newark, N.J., he was the son of the late James K. and Gladys Ortlip Towers Sr. Besides his wife, he is survived by three daughters: Mary T., wife of John S. Gooding, Lancaster; Virginia T., wife of Michael Post, Alexandria, Va.; and Jeanne T. , wife of Eugene Spinelli, Chatham, NJ.; a son, James K. Ill, Lancaster; and six grandchildren.