Henry Engel, Jr.

HENRY ENGEL, the first Public Defender in the State of Maryland in 1966, age 71, of Bel Air, died in Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, Bel Air, Maryland on December 20, 2002. Born in Staten Island, New York, he was the son of the late Henry Charles, Sr. and Molly Brown Engel. An attorney, with 3 years of service as a Juvenile Master, he retired from his job in the Harford County Public Defender’s Office after 27 years of service. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He then graduated from University of Maryland School of Law. He served three years on the Harford County Zoning Appeals Board, worked with the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts, and was active in starting the Bel Air Youth Center. He was active in the Lions Club and the Jaycees. He was a trustee and elder of the First Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland. And he was a member of the F.O.P.

Mr. Engel is survived by his wife, Ethel Burkins Engel; two sons, Charles Henry Engel, and his partner, Jack Lee, of Richmond, Virginia; John Frederick Engel, and his wife, Melanie, of Delta, Pennsylvania; two daughters, Christina Marie Dawson, and her husband, Michael, of Vashon, Washington; Phyllis Kathleen Engel, and her friend, Ron Frazier, of Bel Air, Maryland; one sister, Phyllis Jane Seldon of Delta, Pennsylvania; a foster son, Hobert Scott Burton, and his wife, Donna, of Pylesville, four grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter. Also survived by a niece. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by one son, Henry Charles Engel, III and one grandson, John Andrew Engel.

Pallbearers were: Chuck Engel, John Engel, Mike Dawson, Scott Burton, Ron Frazier, Jr., and Dennis Murphy.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, Maryland Affiliate, Inc. 3120 Timanus Lane, Suite 106, Baltimore, Maryland.