Hans Carl Albertsen

CHESTERTOWN, Md. - Hans Carl Albertsen of Chestertown, Md. passed away on April 20, 2007, in the Chestertown Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

A native of Denmark born April 1, 1923, Mr. Albertsen graduated from Kobenhavns Teknikum School of Engineering.

He joined his fellow Danes in actively resisting the German occupation during World War II. After relocating to the United States in the 1950s, he worked as a sales manager at the General Filter Co. in Ames, Iowa before starting the Mechem Co., a water-treatment engineering firm based in Annapolis, Md.

An avid sailor, he was a member of the Royal Danish Yacht Club, the Annapolis Yacht Club, the Rock Hall Yacht Club, and the Chester River Yacht and Country Club, as well as being a founding member of the Old Salts Society, a fraternal organization dedicated to friendship, camaraderie and the love of boating.

Utilizing his knowledge of wastewater engineering, even after his retirement he remained a vocal proponent in the effort to save the Chesapeake Bay.

Although proud of his Danish heritage, Mr. Albertsen chose to show his solidarity with his adoptive country by officially becoming a United States citizen after the Sept. 11 2001, tragedy.

He is survived by his wife, Peggy Gillespie Albertsen; two children by his first marriage, Hans S. Albertsen and Lynn Albertsen Stover, both of California; stepdaughters, Juliet Smith of Camp Springs, Md., Betsy Stillings of Seattle and Leslie Beard of Baltimore; three grandchildren and three step-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Chestertown on Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Instead of flowers, the family suggests contributions in his memory to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 162 Prince Georges Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401, Sultana Project, P.O. Box 524, Chestertown, MD 21620; or Emmanuel Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 895, Chestertown, MD 21620.

Arrangements by Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, Chestertown, Md.