Peter N. Zacharias

Peter Neil Zacharias of Wyomissing died in the Reading Hospital on January 7 after a short illness. He was the husband of Kristen (Longenecker) Zacharias, whom he married on July 10, 1971, and had met in 1955 when her family moved in across the street.

A seventh-generation Berks Countian, Pete was born on August 6, 1947, to the late Edwin H. and Ruth A. (Swinehart) Zacharias. He graduated as valedictorian from Wilson High School in 1965 and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Having received a direct commission in the United States Public Health Service, Pete served as a system analyst for two years in the Office of the Director at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He returned to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was awarded a master's degree in business administration from the Harvard Business School in 1974. He then returned to Reading and joined his brother, Edwin, in the family's manufacturing firm, Edwin H. Zacharias Machine Works Co., Inc., founded by their grandfather in Reading in 1890. Together they relocated and expanded the business. He retired in 2002.

Pete served on the Educational Council of M. I. T., which honored him with the George B. Morgan '20 Award in recognition for his 40 years of service interviewing applicants.

Over the years, he contributed to numerous local organizations. Before retirement, he was recognized for his accomplishments while he was president of the Manufactures' Association of Berks County. He also served on the board of the Historical Society of Berks County and is an honorary trustee for Reading Musical Foundation.

In his retirement, Pete and his wife enjoyed traveling with family and friends, visiting children and grandchildren, and taking advantage of the parklands in Berks County, always accompanied by their dachshund.

Peter Zacharias was very proud of his family as it expanded with the marriages of his children and the births of grandchildren. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two sons and a daughter and their spouses: Peter Kraft and Shaena (Doherty) Zacharias, Wyomissing; David and Ruth (Cavanaugh) Zacharias, Boca Raton, Florida; and Caitlin (Zacharias) and David Mohr, Lafayette, Colorado; and his seven grandchildren: Benjamin and Peter Johann Zacharias; Amelia, Abigail, and Theodore Zacharias; and Conrad and Roland Mohr. He is also survived by his brother, Edwin H. Zacharias, Jr. and his wife Joaquina (Hill) Zacharias, Wyomissing; and his brothers-in-law, David Longenecker, Boulder, Colorado; and Kevin Longenecker and his wife, Karen (Feryo) Longenecker, Reading, as well as his nieces and nephew.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Historical Society of Berks County, at https://berkshistory.org/, or to the Reading Musical Foundation, at https://readingmusicalfoundation.org/donate/.

Services will be held January 11, 2025, at Renewed Spirit Lutheran Church (the former St. Luke Lutheran Church) at 449 N. 9th Street, Reading, PA. Visitation will begin at 12 noon, to be followed by the service at 1 p.m. Parking is available on the parking lot adjacent to the church building. Burial will be private.

In the event of inclement weather, the services will be held on Monday. Please consult Kuhnfuneralhomes.com to confirm.

***UPDATE: Despite snow conditions, services will take place today, Saturday, January 11, 2025.***