Ned E. Diefenderfer

Ned E. Diefenderfer, 75 of Wyomissing, died July 14, 2010 in the Reading Hospital and Medical Center surrounded by his family and friends during a courageous battle with cancer.

He was the husband of Joan A. (McCall) Diefenderfer with whom he shared over 50 wonderful years of marriage and friendship.

Born in Auburn, PA, he was the only son of the late Edwin R. and Dorothy (Bressler) Diefenderfer.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his two children: Mark A. Diefenderfer, Sinking Spring and Kristin A., wife of Peter J. Kearney, Exeter

Ned and his family were active members of Peace Lutheran Church in the Riverside community of Reading. They also participated in the services of Atonement Lutheran Church in Wyomissing.

Ned graduated from Reading High School in 1952. After graduation, he worked briefly for Wilson Products and independently sold insurance and real estate. He served in the U. S. Army from 1957- 1959.

In 1959, he began a 36 year career with The Carpenter Technology Corporation. He spent that entire career at Carpenter in the production control and production management areas of the business and retired in 1995 as Director of Purchasing. During his working career he also served 20 years as an Instructor for the Dale Carnegie Course.

As a lifelong resident of Reading and Berks County he dedicated a large part of his life to his community. He served on numerous Boards of organizations committed to helping people and improving the quality of life in the community. Those boards included the United Way of Berks County, the Reading and Berks County YMCA, The Reading Phillies and the Lutheran Home at Topton. Ned also served as Secretary for the Wyomissing Foundation for over 15 years until retiring from that position in December 2009.

Among his numerous community service awards he received the United Way Wilbur H. Doran Award in 1994, the Reading and Berks County YMCA Champions of Youth Award in 2009 and the Easy Does It "Making a Difference" Community Service Award in 2009.

Ned was an avid baseball fan, was very involved with the Reading Phillies and spent most winters with his wife and friends in Clearwater, Florida enjoying the Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training Camp.

Ned's community involvement was motivated by his strong desire to help people in need and his belief that the "greatest waste today is the waste of human potential." He will be missed but fondly remembered by all those that he touched.

A Memorial Service to celebrate Ned's life will be held on Saturday, July 24 at 11 a.m. in Atonement Lutheran Church, 5 Wyomissing Boulevard, Wyomissing, PA 19610. A visitation with Ned's family in the church will begin at 9:30 a.m. prior to the service. Burial will be private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Ned's memory to Peace Lutheran Church, 1728 Centre Avenue, Reading, PA 19601; Wood to Wonderful, 1044 North 8th Street, Reading, PA 19601 or to Easy Does It, Inc. 647 Walnut Street, Reading, PA 19601.

Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc, West Reading is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be recorded at www.kuhnfuneralhome.com