William Joseph Vetter

William Joseph Vetter, 53, of Fort Myers born July 28, 1960, died on July 3, 2014, at Hope Hospice after a long and courageous battle with prostate cancer. He is the son of Frank and Frances Vetter, now deceased.
His memory will be cherished by his loving wife of 27 years, Marie Vetter; and sons, Hendrik Kouwenhoven and Gerard Kouwenhoven. He is survived by his sister, Dorothy Berry; brothers, Charles (Laura), Nick (Don), Tony (Kathy), Frank Jr. (Linda) and Richard (Kimberly); and many nephews, nieces and friends.
He was preceded in death by his sitser, Susan Krusniak.
His legacy is about the lives he touched as teacher and school principal. He served the School District of Lee County for 31 years at all three levels: elementary, middle and high school. He was a product of Lee County schools and was the founding principal of Ida S. Baker High School where he coined the motto, “Success is the Only Option.”
He loved being an educator and left his mark by spreading joy in the lives of children and teachers. He retired in April from Treeline Elementary School.
A celebration of “joy” honoring Joe’s life will take place at Pelican Preserve in the Osprey Room at the Golf Club on Saturday, July 19, at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Joe Vetter Memorial Fund by visiting www.plumfund.com/pf/JoeVetterMemorial
Those who wish to offer condolences to the family at this difficult time are urged to visit Mr. Vetter’s memorial webpage at www.fortmyersmemorial.com and sign the guestbook.