William H. Rorer III, pharmaceuticals scion

William H. Rorer III, 71, of Lumberville, a retired pharmaceutical company president, died at home Friday of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a brain disorder.

Mr. Rorer's grandfather, a pharmacist, established William H. Rorer Inc. in Philadelphia in 1910. In 1949, the company introduced Maalox, which became the world's best-selling antacid.

Mr. Rorer intended to be a career Navy officer, but left the service in 1963 to work for the family firm after his father, Herbert, who was its leader, died in 1962. He held various management positions before becoming president in 1977. He retired as president in 1987, and the firm merged with Rhone-Poulenc in 1990.

After his retirement, Mr. Rorer consulted for pharmaceutical companies.

From 1987 to 1990, he was president of Delaware Valley College. He was active with the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation and the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, and served on the board of the Navy League of the United States.

Mr. Rorer attended Episcopal Academy in Wynnewood and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958. Ten days later, he married Susan Straus. During his five years on active duty, he served aboard the cruiser Canberra and on the submarines Tusk and Entemedor.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Rorer is survived by a son, William IV; daughters Pennington Moss and Samantha Mooney; two sisters; and six grandchildren.

A funeral will begin at 11 a.m. tomorrow at Trinity Episcopal Church, 6587 Upper York Rd., Solebury, Pa. 18963. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the church.