Walter Randall 'Randy' Zehner Jr., 82, of Hellertown [Obituary]

Walter Randall "Randy" Zehner Jr., 82, of Hellertown, died Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013 at his residence. He was the husband of Edna C. Kaplin Ball Zehner, previously of Montgomery County. He was born in Bethlehem on May 12, 1930, and was the son of the late Walter Randall Sr. and Hallie May (Bachman) Zehner.

Randy attended the Bethlehem Area School District, including Nitschmann for grades 1 to 4 and 7 to 9, Rosemont for grades 5 and 6, and Liberty for grades 10 to 12. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Lehigh University while attending from 1948 to 1952. He was in the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity.

Randy served in the U.S. Army as a Commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the Corps of Engineers. His active service from June 1952 to March 1954 included Fort Belvoir, Va., Granite City, Ill., and Eta Jima, Japan. He received the National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal.

Randy was employed by Bethlehem Steel Corp. from June 1952 to April 1983. From July 1952 to 1964 he worked in the Loop Course/Saucon Structural (Grey) Mills 42”/48” and from 1964 to 1983 in the Burns Harbor Plant, first as Supervisor of the 160” Plate Mill, then General Supervisor of the 84” Hot Sheet Mill followed by Yield Engineer and Senior Technology Engineer.

He was a member of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Catholic Church, Hellertown, and its Knights of Columbus.

He was involved in the Drug Awareness Task Force in Valparaiso, Ind., the Southern Lehigh Business Organization, Coopersburg, and the Lehigh University Alumni Association, serving as a volunteer in the Alumni Memorial Office as well as an usher for the Zoellner Arts Center. Walter served as Vice Chairman of Reunions for the Lehigh University Class of 1952, and more specifically as the Class Agent, Treasurer and Reunion Treasurer in 1992, 1995 and 2002.

Randy’s interests included fly fishing, touring and classical music, especially opera, restoring usefulness to anything deemed unfixable, reading The Holy Bible, church histories, biographies, military history and strategy, geopolitical affairs and general history.

SURVIVORS

In addition to his wife; Deborah L. and her husband Lee Otte of Seymour, Ind., Sharon G. and her husband Bryan Huseman of Chesterton, Ind., Linda C. Kilavos of Valapariso, Ind., Edna F. and her husband Robert Axelrod of South Orange, N.J., Joan M. and her husband Edward Ruttenberg of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., Patricia A. and her husband Ronald Donoso of Raubsville, John D. Ball III of Australia; 14 grandchildren: John, Thomas, Hallie, Christopher, Daniel, Jeremy, David, Michael, Sarah, Stacey, Matthew, Alex, Rebecca, Miranda; several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his first wife Gloria L. (Reese) and sister, Ruth Pope. 

SERVICE

Family and friends are invited to call from from 8:30 to 9:30am Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 at the Heintzelman Funeral Home Inc., 326 Main St., Hellertown. The calling hour will be followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10am at his church, 1408 Easton Road, Hellertown. The entombment will conclude services at Holy Saviour Cemetery, Bethlehem. Online expressions of sympathy can be recorded at www.heintzelmancares.com. Arrangements are by the Heintzelman Funeral Home Inc., Hellertown. 

CONTRIBUTIONS

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Theresa School, 300 Leonard St., Hellertown, PA 18055.