William H. Schlegel

William H. Schlegel, 86, of Wyomissing, died February 23, 2009 at the Reading Hospital & Medical Center.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Sallie (Lauber) Schlegel.

Born in Reading, he was the son of the late Lloyd W. and Margaret H. (Hendel) Schlegel. He was predeceased by his first wife, Elizabeth (Langheck) Schlegel, who died June 29, 1960.

Bill was president and owner of Cacoosing Industries, Inc., Sinking Spring, for 35 years, retiring in 1997. Prior to his becoming an entrepreneur, he was an executive with Berkshire Knitting Mills, Wyomissing.

He was a lifelong congregant, governing board member, and trustee of First Evangelical Congregational Church, Reading.

Bill was director, from 1970 to 1993, and chairman of the board, from 1975 to 1979, of the Reading Hospital & Medical Center and president of the Rotary Club of Reading. Both organizations were dear to his heart.

He served as a member of the boards of various local institutions, including Albright College, the Reading YWCA, the Manufacturers Association of Berks County, the Chamber of Commerce of Berks County, SCORE, and the Berkshire Country Club; he also sat on the Borough of Wyomissing Zoning Board.

Bill grew up in Wyomissing, attended local schools, and graduated from Culver Military Academy, Culver, IN, in 1940. He studied industrial engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, for three years and graduated from the US Navy V-12 unit from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, in 1944.

During World War II, he served as a First Lieutenant with the 2nd Marine Division in the Pacific Theatre. He participated in the amphibious landings on Guam, Saipan, Okinawa, and Nagasaki, the final as part of the American occupation of Japan.

Bill and Sallie loved to play golf and travel the world. They toured every continent except Antarctica. He was known to take his golf bag to unusual locales, including Kashmir and Sikkim. Notable among his trips was a trek to Mt. Everest's base camp in the company of Tenzing Norgay, who was first to its summit with explorer Sir Edmund Hillary.

He loved his family, friends, and Ocean City, NJ.

Surviving are his five sons: William, Jr., Stephen, Peter, Robert, and Jeffrey, and their wives - Kathleen, Linda, Nancylee, and Kathryn. Other survivors include two sisters: Margaret S. Fontana, Rochester, MN, and Kathryn S. Kaufman, Wyomissing. There are ten grandchildren: Zachary, Lauren, Megan, Peter, Jr., Christian, Jessica, Robert, Jr., Andrew, Benjamin, and Grace.

Services will be private, at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Reading Hospital & Medical Center Development Fund, P.O. Box 16052, Reading, PA 19612-6052. Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc., West Reading, is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be recorded at: www.kuhnfuneralhome.com.