Leonard Gitschier

Leonard J. Gitschier June 25, 1920 - October 15, 2010 Leonard Joseph Gitschier, native of Bethlehem and long-time resident of Pottstown, died on October 15, 2010 in Shaker Heights, Ohio at the age of 90. He was the son of the late Joseph and Anna Kozauer Gitschier, grew up on Finady Avenue in Bethlehem, and was predeceased by his wife, Jean nee Fisher, originally of Fountain Hill. He is the father of Jane Gitschier of San Francisco and Mary Gitschier McCarthy Mark of Shaker Heights and is also survived by 3 granddaughters: Molly McCarthy Vasich Michael, Caroline McCarthy, and Annie Steinberg. Gitschier was predeceased by his two sisters, Lucy Brader and Pauline Gitschier of Bethlehem, and brother, Edward of Baltimore, MD. Gitschier was a 1934 graduate of the grammar school at Holy Ghost Church in South Bethlehem and a 1938 graduate of Liberty High School in Bethlehem. During his youth he was active in the Boy Scouts of America and attended the first National Boy Scout Jamboree in 1937 in Washington, D.C. When he could not find work because of the Depression, he enlisted in the Civilian Conservation Corps. He served in a Soil Conservation Camp near Waynesboro, PA. With his savings from the CCC and a Senatorial Scholarship, he enrolled at The Pennsylvania State University where he earned a degree in Civil Engineering in 1943. Upon graduation he entered the US Marine Corps and served as 1st Lieutenant in the South Pacific on Guam, Iwo Jima, and Eniwitok. Following WWII, Gitschier returned to Bethlehem to work for the Bethlehem Steel Company in the Fabricated Steel Division. In 1954 he was transferred to Pottstown, where he became project manager. Over the course of his 32-year career, he oversaw the steel erection for more than 100 structures from Maine to Georgia. These projects included bridges, such as the Cooper River Bridge in Charleston, S.C. and the 14th St. Bridge over the Potomac as well as numerous buildings, including the new Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., the William Penn Museum in Harrisburg and Bethlehem Steel's home office, the Martin Tower. In 1962, during the height of the "Cold War", Gitschier assisted in the construction of the Minuteman Missile Base in Minot, N.D. Gitschier was most proud of his work on the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. because of its stunning architecture and its prominence in our national culture. In addition to his interest in steel construction, Gitschier enjoyed all kinds of outdoor activities including golf, gardening, sailing, and travel and the quiet hobbies of photography and art. But he always said his most interesting experience and greatest pride was being a father to his two daughters. He loved his family. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Dominic church in Shaker Heights on Saturday, October 23rd at 11:00. A Memorial Service will be celebrated in Pennsylvania at St. James Lutheran Church, 1101 E. High Street, Pottstown, on November 6 at 2:00 pm. Family and friends are also invited to gather at 10:30 am on the 6th at the Schoenersville Cemetery, 2355 Grove Road in Allentown for the burial. The family suggests memorials to the charity of your choice.


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