Marie A. Lederer

 Marie A. Lederer, peacefully passed away on February 26, 2025.  She was a loving wife, mother, devoted grandmother and great-grandmother.

She was a volunteer for the American Red Cross and Heart Fund for decades.  Elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives serving the 175th legislative district for seven terms. Representative Lederer was the fourth Lederer to hold this legislative seat in the past 50 years. Strongly encouraged to run for the House by neighbors and friends, Marie began her first term at age 65. She won each successive election 
by ever growing margins as people often said of her, “Marie, she gets things done!”.

During her seven legislative terms, she championed legislation aimed at assisting Pennsylvania’s growing Senior Citizen population and fought to reduce the city wage tax.  Representative Lederer focused on other legislation which included quality of life issues such as juvenile street crime, the war on drugs, childcare, education reform and support for veterans.

The Marie A. Lederer Senior Center, formerly Neuman Medical Center, was founded in 2007.  Marie worked collaboratively for 10 arduous years with the Federal Department of Housing and a local nonprofit organization and unions to obtain grants to convert the former St. Mary Hospital, which closed after operating for over 150 years, into senior housing. The award-winning historic community hospital was converted into 120 low-cost housing apartments for seniors.  Marie never grew tired of fighting for the rights of senior citizens and children throughout the Commonwealth. She stated countless times that a society is judged by the way it treats its children and its elderly.

Representative Lederer’s 14-year legislative tenure resulted in several house bills being signed into law.  Pa. House Bill #19 allowed Juvenile Records to be made available to Judges upon request. This was not permitted prior to this bill being passed.  Another House Bill #3, known as the “DNA Detection of Sexual and Violent Offenders Act” provides DNA to all PA. Law Enforcement Officers.  Both bills were signed into law by Governor Tom Ridge.  Yet another House Bill, #30 was the result of a phone call from a soldier in Iraq who lived in her district.  He was the former brother-in-law of Flight 93 hero Louis Nackie.  On 911, Flight 93 crashed in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The soldier explained that Louis Nackie had two children with his sister, but they were divorced. The current law he explained stated that only children of a current marriage could receive worker compensation benefits from a former employer. Marie proposed a bill ensuring that all children of previous marriages receive equally allocated shares of worker compensation benefits from parents. After years of work on this issue, Marie’s perseverance resulted in House Bill #30 being passed into law unanimously and was signed into law by Governor Edward G. Rendell.  Marie was also a co-signer of many other House Bills during her tenure.  She was a trailblazer working diligently across the aisle encouraging both Democrats and Republicans to focus on issues, their commonalities and responsibilities to work for all Pennsylvanians.

Representative Lederer previously served as special assistant to U.S. Congressman Joseph F. Smith and had close ties with Temple University, where she attended college and taught political science courses.

Among many achievements for the people of her district, she was successful in convincing the second largest tuna packing plant in the world to open its U.S. subsidiary in her district rather than in San Diego, California, bringing countless jobs to the city.

Marie was the daughter of the late Donato and Edith Panosetti and a brother the late Anthony J. Panosetti.  She was married to the late Judge William J. Lederer for 58 years and credited her husband with helping her make the most of her public career. Representative Lederer is survived by son, William Miles (Dr. Carlos E. Velez), daughters Doneda Lederer and Regina Joseph (Dr. Raymond E.), 3 grandchildren; Andrew Guyon (Kissy Lazo Bermudez), Yvonne Marie Guyon (Benjamin Buckner), Juliette Joseph, Great-Grandchildren Remi Guyon, Lafayette Buckner, Cousin Evelyn Amoruso, (Vitacolonna), sisters-in-laws, Rita, Marion and Christine, dozens of lovable nieces, nephews, family and friends worldwide.

A viewing will be held on Friday, March 14, 2025, from 9AM until 10:45AM at St. Dominic Catholic Church, 8504 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19136, followed by a Requiem Mass and celebration of her life at 11AM. Burial will follow in St. Dominic’s Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of her memory can be made to: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Foundation, P.O Box 781352, Philadelphia, PA 19178-1352, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.