The community of Annville, a considerable part of Lebanon, and circles of acquaintance over a much wider territory were in mourning today, with the announcement of the death at 10 o'clock this morning, of Paul William Kreider, familiarly known to a host of friends and acquaintances as "Pat' Kreider.
He was president of the Lebanon Paper Box Company, one of Lebanon's widest famed industries, and as such had contact with business industries throughout the nation, and he was a scion of one of Lebanon county's oldest and best known families, but was best known to his fellow townsmen as Annville's Santa Claus.
Nearly twenty-five years ago he assumed the role ot St. Nicholas in a most practical manner, and each year at Christmastide, showered the underprivileged people of tho community with gifts of food and serviceable articles, and the children with candles and toys, with the assistance of his estimable wife, the former Florence Christeson. Their charitable consideration of their fellow cititens had become almost a tradition to last Christmas when Mr. Kreider's illness prevented him, much to his regret, from assuming his usual role as Santa Claus.
The decedent's illness dated back to a visit to the World Fair in Chicago, where he contracted amoebic dissentery, in 1938. It became a chronic affliction and he suffered from the malady continuously thereafter. Just about a year ago affliction assumed serious aspects, and in September he went to the University of Pennsylvania Hospital, at Philadelphia. Although he underwent heroic treatment, including many blood transfusions and other recourse to medical and surgical science he continued to decline until he became a veritable shadow of his former self.
He returned home last January, and as his own homo at 73 Sheridan avenue was undergoing alterations and improvements at the time, he went to the home of his brother, Gideon R. Kreider, Jr., at Mt. Annville. He was apprised of his own hopeless condition a long time ago, and at his own request he was removed to his own home last Thursday to spend his last hours in the domicile which he loved so much and in the companionship of his wife and family.
Mr. Kreider was a native of Annville, having been born there May 24, 1892. Following his elementary education in the public schools of Annville in that period, he attended Lebanon Valley College and Yale University. He gave up his scholastic activities to become associated with his father, the late Gideon R. Kreider, in the operation of the Kreider Shoe Company enterprise at Palmyra. He severed his connection there in 1911 when he joined his brother, Gideon R. Kreider, Jr., in the operation and management of the Lebanon Paper Box Company, of which, after successive steps he later became president of the corporation, a position he held up to the time of his death.
Mr. Kreider was deeply interested in the welfare and progress of his home community, and aside of his Christmas charities dispensed his largess with a lavish hand. He was beloved also because of his fine traits of heart and mind in his business and social affiliations generally. His business associations brought him into contact with representatives of other industrial and business outfits with ramifications that covered almost the entire nation and he was highly esteemed by all with whom he came into contact.
As a business man he had unusual executive ability and was associated with a number of concerns [???] of his principal corporation. He was at the time of his death, president of the Annville Water Company, and was a director of the Annville National Bank and also of tho Concord (New Hampshire) Silversmiths, Inc., an industry engaged in the manufacture of table ware and other silver products.
His social connections also covered a wide field. He was a member of the Masonic orders, the Lebanon Lodge of Elks, the S???z Club of Lebanon, the Hershey Country Club and the Quentin Riding Club.
The decedent was the youngest son of the late Gideon R. and Anna (Brunner) Kreider. In addition to his wife he leaves two daughters, Catherine and Helen, and a sister, Mrs. Louise K. Strickler, wife of Dr. Alfred D. Strickler, of Hathaway Park, this city, and the brother heretofore referred to, Gideon R. Kreider, Jr.
Lebanon Daily News - Tuesday, March 21, 1939