Montgomery County, PA

THE HONORABLE HALBERT E. FILLINGER, JR., MD.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY CORONER

NORRISTOWN – The Honorable Halbert E. Fillinger, Jr., MD, Coroner of Montgomery County, died Sunday after a long illness.  He was 79.

During his 14 years as coroner of Montgomery County, Dr. Fillinger worked with many law enforcement agencies at the local, County, state and federal levels.
 
He was responsible for solving numerous high profile murder cases in his more than 40 years as a forensic pathologist. Prior to being elected as Montgomery County’s Coroner, Dr. Fillinger served for 28 years as an assistant medical examiner for the City of Philadelphia.
 
He was also an assistant professor at Temple University where he taught criminalistics, which encompassed all aspects of forensic pathology, evidence gathering and body chemistry.  Dr. Fillinger was a guest lecturer many times for the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia as well as all branches of the Armed Forces.  His work was so highly regarded that he was engaged as a consultant nationwide, including by the states of Texas, Michigan, Arkansas, Kentucky, Georgia, New York, New Jersey, and Colorado. 

Born in Clinton, Indiana in 1926, Dr. Fillinger received his medical degree in 1955 from the University of Heidelberg in Heidelberg, Germany.  He then served a pathology internship at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, and a fellowship at the nationally-renown Cleveland Clinic Foundation where he specialized in forensic pathology.
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The regard that his peers had for him was evidenced by many accolades and recognition for his notable accomplishments.

To honor the passing of this outstanding public servant, Montgomery County Commissioners have ordered that all Montgomery County flags be flown at half-mast.

Dr. Fillinger is survived by his wife, Maggie (Mulhern) Fillinger; son Halbert E. Fillinger III, Harleysville and 2 daughters, Karen Thompson (Timothy) of Spotsylvania, VA and Elizabeth Fillinger of Ambler; 2 grandchildren; 1 brother, Earl Fillinger (Phyllis) of Monticello, IN and 2 sisters:  Eva Goetz of Sarasota, FL and Mary Schilling of Indianapolis and nieces and nephews.

Services will be Friday, June 16 at 11AM at the Hatboro Baptist Church, 32 N. York Road, Hatboro followed by internment in Rose Hill Cemetery, Ambler.  Friends may call Thursday evening 7-9:30 PM at Huff & Lakjer Funeral Home, 701 Derstine Ave., Lansdale or Friday at the church 9:30 to 10:30AM.

In lieu of flowers the family prefers donations in memory of Dr. Hal Fillinger to the Nurse Development Fund at Abington Memorial Hospital Foundation, 1200 Old York Road, Abington, PA  19001.