Cecilia M. Pannepacker

Cecilia M. Pannepacker (née Leichner), 85, passed away peacefully on February 10, 2026, in Kirkland Village, Bethlehem, surrounded by members of her loving family. She was the wife of Vincent J. Pannepacker, Jr. for 53 years. Born in Philadelphia she was the daughter of the late Theodore F. Sr. and Cecilia M. (Leyrer) Leichner.
Cecilia was a 1957 graduate of Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls in Philadelphia. She began her career in 1956 as a part-time clerk at the Times Chronicle Co. in Jenkintown, PA. Upon an acquisition by the Montgomery Publishing Company, Cecilia was promoted to Chief Accounting Clerk in their Fort Washington office. In 1960 she moved to ESB-Reeves Corporation in Glenside as Secretary to the President, Director of Research, and Sales Manager of the Electric Storage Battery Company. In 1964 she transferred to the company's international division in Philadelphia as Executive Secretary to the Controller where she had active engagement with the general managers of all foreign offices. Cecillia later moved to Arndt, Preston, Chapin Lamb and Keen advertising agency in their offices on Walnut Street in Philadelphia as the Executive Secretary to both the President and Executive Vice President. She was promoted to Administrative Assistant in charge of Human Resource activities. She worked in this role until she married when her priorities shifted to her husband, stepchildren, and future children. In later years, when her children were older, Cecilia worked with her husband at Penny's Flowers in Glenside.
Cecilia was a loyal and loving wife, mother and friend who enjoyed a variety of interests including gardening, baking, reading (particularly biographies), knitting, playing pinochle and Mexican train, and working on puzzles. She had a love of history, a gift for the gab, a sweet tooth, an incredible attention to detail, kept a meticulously clean home, and always maintained the most wonderfully positive and happy demeanor.
Cecilia was an active traveler, both before her marriage and during. She visited many US National Parks during family road trips as a teenager, and in her twenties visited the United Kingdom and Europe numerous times. Until her death, Cecilia maintained a 70+ year correspondence with her pen pal, Margaret Shackleton of West Yorkshire, UK, whom she visited on several of her trips. During her life she toured many areas of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Norway, Italy, Germany, Egypt, and Australia.
Surviving with her husband Vincent is son, David A. Pannepacker of London, England; daughters, Michele C. O'Neill (David O'Neill) of Palmerton and Kristin M. Chianese (Craig Chianese) of Lambertville, New Jersey; stepson Vincent J. Pannepacker, III (Sharon Sand) of Tiburon, California; stepdaughters Kathryn E. Pannepacker (Diane Dunning) of Philadelphia and Lauren A. Melehan (Christopher Melehan) of Verona, Wisconsin; a brother Raymond J. Leichner of Warminster, Pennsylvania; a sister Regina F. Conway of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania; eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A calling hour will be held from 9:30am to 10:15am on Friday, February 20, in the Pearson Funeral Home, Inc., 1901 Linden Street, Bethlehem, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30am in St Anne's Church, 450 E Washington Ave, Bethlehem. Interment in the family plot will be held at 1:30 PM in the Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Philadelphia.
Memorial donations in Cecilia's name may be sent to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, c/o St. Anne Catholic Church.