William “Bill” Kenneth Kreider, 95

April 1, 1925 - March 31, 2021

William “Bill” Kenneth Kreider, 95, of Honey Brook, PA, formally of Lititz and Bethlehem PA, passed away on March 31, 2021. Bill was surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren in his final days and died peacefully at home.

Bill was born in Lancaster, PA on April 1, 1925. He graduated from Manheim Township High School and from Franklin & Marshall College. He was part of the Navy’s V-12 program and served as Ensign during WWII. He raised his family in Bethlehem and worked as Manager of Manufacturing and Planning for General Electric, and Black & Decker in Allentown. He enjoyed camping, and vacationing in his travel trailer on Assateague Island.

Bill married Janice “Jan” Ziegler in 1996, following the death of his first wife. In their 24 years together Jan and Bill enjoyed going on cruises and spending time on the Cape May beach. After living in Cape May for a number of years they moved to Lititz where he loved tending his bird feeders and plants, walking his dog PJ, puttering around the house and fixing things ala MacGyver.

Bill connected with the F&M Alumni in the area and enjoyed going to schools to share his WWII experiences. He was a member of the Military Officers Association and a past member of the Assateague Mobile Sportfishermen’s Association. He had a great sense of humor and loved having been born on April Fools’ Day. His final April Fools’ joke was to pass on March 31st, the last day of his 96th year.

Bill is survived by his wife Jan, his children Karen Davis of Irving, TX, Joan “Jody” Bradwell of Philadelphia, William “Bill” of Emmaus, Mark, Kristen, and Robert of Philadelphia. Also, his stepchildren Jeffrey Zeigler of Franklin, VA and Jennifer Maguire of Exton, 10 grandchildren, 3 step grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Enos “Doc” and Ruth Graeter Kreider, his sister, Jean Shuster, his first wife, Florence McCarthy Kreider, daughter Susan Kreider, grandsons Kenneth Kreider, Austin Furhmann and great grandson Callan Kreider.

The funeral service will be held on April 9th at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, 26 Owl Hill Road, Lititz, PA, 17543, with The Rev. Hans E. Becklin officiating. Visitation hours are from 9 to 9:45 a.m., followed by a service at 10:00 a.m. The service will be live-streamed on the parish website. A private committal service with military honors will follow at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.

Please omit flowers. Donations may be made in Bill’s memory to Salem Lutheran at the address above.

The family of William Kenneth Kreider wishes to thank Heatherwood Retirement Community, Honey Brook, PA and Compassus Hospice and Palliative Care.