Biography


Biography of George Robert Zeitler (1910-1996) by john zeitler 8/09

George Robert Zeitler was born January 21, 1910 in a rented two story log house in Brady’s Bend PA. He was the youngest of nine children of Mary Theresa Bernard and Michael Zeitler jr. He would be buried 86 years later within a few miles of that house and of the graves of his parents and all four grandparents.

His paternal great grandparents (Margarethe Weiss and John Conrad Zeitler) arrived in Pennsylvania in the Fall of 1847 from Grefengehaig Bavaria, several years after three of their sons (including Michael Sr, George’s grandfather) arrived. They settled in Punsutawney, Pa

His maternal grandparents (Jane DeCorte and John Bernard) met on the ship from Belgium on their way to Brady’s Bend. He was from Alsace, France. He was 36, she was 15. Among their more than a dozen children was Mary Theresa born in 1869.When George’s father died in 1924 the family moved to a solid oak house across the road and Sugar Creek from the log house, where George was raised and his mother lived with her daughters Anne and Mae until she died in 1953 at age 93.

George quit school after the 7th grade and went to work with his brother Edward (Juno) in the local coal mine. After Juno was twice nearly killed in mine collapses, Geoge got a job at Rexhide in East Brady that manufactured tire flaps. In 1932 he bought a new Ford and the next year reconditioned it and drove it to the World Exposition in Chicago.

He inherited 289 acre farm from his uncle George.

Through Guy Bish (Rhody Hile’s boyfriend) he met Anna Marie Hile and they eloped to West Virginia. They were then married by Fr Eustace in November of 1936.When Michael was born in 1937 they moved to West Sunbury Pa and George worked in the Annadale Limestone Mine. They rented a farm. Robert (Buddy) was born there (and saved by a persistent local doctor) but died with in the year from pneumonia.John was born less than a year later in 1940. When World War II was raging, George quit his draft exempt job at the mine and went to work at Koppers chemical company in Petrolia so he would be drafted. He was and served from Feb 18, 1944 until September 19, 1945. He grade was T/5, a private in the army engineers. He drove light trucks. He was in the Madigan General Hospital in Ft Lewis Washington state from March 3, 1945 with back and kidney problems.

He returned to East Brady, bought a blue 1946 Nash four door car. (He always bought new cars, including a 1952 Nash “tub” and a 1958 Chevrolet Del Ray). In 1945 they purchased an old McClain house on E. First Street-- that was to be the family home for forty years-- for $4500 and set about improving it. He kept a cow and chickens and gardened extensively. He enjoyed listening to the Priates baseball games and training beagles and hunting deer, rabbits and squirrels. He trained beagles for more than fifty years, all descended from his first beagle in 1933. He read the newspaper daily.

Mary Anne was born in 1946 and Dennis in 1948 Joe in 1950 and Andy in 1952.

He retired from Koppers in 1975 after 32 years. After a 14 year struggle Anna Marie died of cancer in August 1976. George stayed in the house a year or so, then moved in with Buena Craig and her mother in Miller’s Eddy where he lived the rest of his life.

In spite of his lifelong tobacco habit he lived a very healthy life well into his eighties. He wasn’t hospitalized after his military duty until his death illness. He and Buena vacationed in Florida, cruised Alaska and visited his children. He preferred being at home.

He died of lung cancer in March 3, 1996 after an illness of several months. He left each of his children $10,000 and a share of the farm he inherited from his uncle.

He is buried by Anna Marie and “Buddy” in the East Brady Cemetery.
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Thursday, December 31, 2009

Mary Anne Remembers

I remember:Dad cleaning a chicken for Sunday dinner at the basement sink and showing me the "pocketbook" as I sat on the cellar steps and watched. What organ was that "pocketbook" anyhow?Dad making us each our own berry picking can - a coffee can with a piece of wire for a handle. That was the exciting part. I hated the berry picking because I was afraid of snakes. Dad pouring his coffee in his saucer to cool it and then drinking from the saucer. I remember trying to drink my tea that way - to Mom's dismay.Dad taking us for an ice cream cone at the Tastee-Freeze on top of Brady hill on Sunday afternoon. We all had to get a small vanilla.Dad coming by himself to the Mercyhurst Father-Daughter weekend. He shared a room with Jeanne Kamats' Dad at the Holiday Inn. I still have the picture of the four of us from that weekend in my office - Dad, me, Jeanne and her Dad. Dad walking me down the aisle at my wedding with a broken foot. He had hurt it seriously at work the day before but didn't want me to know until after the wedding - and I didn't.
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