C. William Eckenrode

C. William Eckenrode, 80, of 1800 Village Circle, Lancaster died Monday, October 8, 2018 at Homestead Village. Born in Scranton, he was the son of Celestine Greavy Eckenrode and Charles M. Eckenrode. Bill was the loving husband of Joanne Christoffel Eckenrode who preceded him in death in February 2018. They were very happily married for 51 years. Graduating from the University of Scranton in 1960, he was commissioned in the U.S. Army and served with the 7th Cavalry in the 3rd Infantry Division for three years, stationed in Bamberg and Schweinfurt Germany. After military service he began working for PPL in Lancaster in residential sales and in their Allentown headquarters in labor relations and college recruiting. He then managed the Dunhill Personnel Agency and moved to Harrisburg to work in personnel for AMP Inc. He later joined Pulsar Time Computer, a subsidiary of HMW Industries in Lancaster as their Director of Human Resources. He was also employed for 19 years with Pennsylvania Blue Shield in Camp Hill as Director of Personnel for Subsidiary Services and Director of Management Training until his retirement. Bill then started his own consulting business and worked in and around south central Pennsylvania for a number of years. He also worked part time for the Manheim Auto Auction. He received his Master’s Degree in Industrial Relations from St. Francis College in Loretto, PA, and was an Adjunct Instructor in the business school at Lebanon Valley and Franklin and Marshall Colleges. He was also on the faculty of Continuing Education and Long Distance Learning at Elizabethtown College and was a substitute teacher at Hempfield High School. Bill was a member of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Rohrerstown, the Hempfield Democrats and the Lancaster Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. He was a volunteer mediator for the Lancaster Area Victim Offender Reconciliation Program for many years. He also served on their Board of Directors and was Board Chair for 3 years. He enjoyed reading, history and water color painting. An avid runner and swimmer, he was a member of the Lancaster Road Runners Club for many years. He ran in many distance races, including marathons. He took part in the annual Red Rose Run for 25 years. He also competed annually in the Lancaster Senior swim meets. Surviving are two daughters, Theresa Eckenrode of Wayne, PA, Kathleen Eckenrode, married to Gerald Collins of Lansdale, PA; and a son, Christopher Eckenrode, married to Christopher Hughes of Collingswood, NJ. He is also survived by three wonderful grandchildren: JP Collins, Ryan Collins, and Erin Collins, all of whom he loved very much. Bill was a wonderful husband, father, and friend to all who knew him. His kindness and friendly smile will be greatly missed. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Leo the Great Church, 2427 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster, PA on Friday, October 12, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. There will be a visitation at the church at 10:00 a.m. A private family interment will be held in St. Joseph New Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at http://www.alz.org.