Dr. J. Kenneth Kreider

Obituary of Dr. J. Kenneth Kreider
J. Kenneth Kreider, Ph.D. Professor of History, Emeritus, Elizabethtown College
Dr. J. Kenneth Kreider, 91, passed into eternal life on October 19, 2025, of a recently diagnosed aggressive cancer. Born on April 7, 1934, he was the son of the late A. Clyde and Catherine Herr Neff Kreider. Surviving is his wife of 66 years, Carroll Hall Kreider, and daughters Brenda K. Barlet (Jerry), Elizabethtown, PA, and Dr. Denise K. Voloshin (Dr. Michael), Greensburg, PA. Six grandchildren also survive: Laura B. Morgenthal (Florian), Rodley R. Barlet (Krista), Sonia B. Fincke (Adam), Andrew M. Voloshin, Rachel C. Voloshin, and Matthew S. Voloshin, and the following great-grandchildren: Kason and Kaia Barlet, Leo and Nina Fincke, Finja Morgenthal, and step-great grandson, Liam McGinnis. He is also survived by one brother, A. Clyde Kreider, Bethany, PA. Two brothers, Robert H. Kreider and G. Ralph Kreider predeceased him.
In his youth he was an active member of his local FFA chapter and 4-H Clubs. He was president of the Quarryville FFA chapter, played alto saxophone for four years in the Pennsylvania State FFA Band, and was awarded the coveted Keystone Farmer Award in 1951. In 1952, Ken was one of the Pennsylvania representatives at the National 4-H Convention in Chicago, and the National Dairy Cattle Congress in Waterloo, Iowa.
Following graduation from Southern Lancaster County Joint High School (later known as SOLANCO), he farmed for three years and then served three years as a conscientious objector in alternative service. Following service as a normal control patient ("guinea pig") for medical research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and in the Metabolic Research Unit of the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ken was assigned to Brethren Volunteer Service in Europe. His major assignment was with Heifer Project International as part of relief and reconstruction work in Germany, Austria, and Italy after World War II. He also coordinated the work of volunteers in the Hungarian refugee camps in Austria following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Ken's final assignment in Brethren Volunteer Service was working with motion picture actor, Don Murray (co-starred with Marilyn Monroe in Bus Stop, and Eva Marie Saint in A Hatful of Rain), to found and begin the agricultural project on the island of Sardinia, Italy, to resettle and give a new start in life to "hard core" refugees who had lost everything in World War II.
Ken was graduated by Elizabethtown College, 1961, with a B.A. in History and a minor in Political Science. His M.A. and Ph.D. degrees were awarded by the Pennsylvania State University, where he taught History courses as a Student Assistant for three years. His teaching career with Elizabethtown College began the summer of 1964 where he obtained the rank of Professor of European History, which included numerous years as department chairman. Ken served many years on the Library Committee and several terms on the college's Personnel Council, including a number years as chair. In 1973 he was the recipient of the John Frederick Steinman Excellence in Teaching Award. He retired as Professor of History Emeritus in 1999 after 35 years on the faculty.
In 2003, Ken received "Educate for Service Award" to honor his Service to the College. In 2013, a former student, endowed an annual award for the "Kreider Prize for Teaching Excellence" at Elizabethtown College in honor of "both Ken and Carroll Kreider for the decades of exemplary service they had given as professors in the fullest sense." Also, in 2013, he received the Penn State Melanoma Center Appreciation Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the Melanoma Effort at Penn State. He was also a member of the Elizabethtown Rotary Club, having served in various capacities and leadership roles, including President; he was a Paul Harris Fellow +6.
Ken was an active member of the Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren, where he served many years on various committees and the Executive Board. He was a founding Board Member of the Brethren Peace Fellowship as well as a founding Board Member of On Earth Peace. His hobbies included reading, photography, and travel. While traveling and conducting Kreider Friendship Tour groups totaling over 7,500 people in all 50 states and 116 foreign countries – on all seven continents, his most enjoyable time was spending time with his immediate and extended family.
Author of a 588-page book, A Cup of Cold Water; the Story of Brethren Service (2001), and an autobiography, From the Buck to E-town; An Awesome Journey (2010), he also published many articles, including one in Canfield, Hanser and Theiman's book, Chicken Soup for the Grandma's Soul (2005). He wrote articles and book reviews for various professional publications. He delivered many sermons in various churches and hundreds of speeches and illustrated lectures to service clubs, Sunday School classes, professional groups, and other organizations.
With Ken's leadership in the anti-Vietnam War movement on campus and in the community, he organized and led numerous bus groups to participate in national anti-war demonstrations in Washington, D.C., protesting United States' participation in wars in Vietnam and in Iraq. His pacifist upbringing and concern for the justice and welfare of others continued throughout his life, which appeared in his many "Letters to the Editor" that were published in the Lancaster newspaper, and by his most recent attendance at the No Kings Rally, June 14, 2025, in Binns Park, Lancaster, PA. He chaired his local church's committee which re-settled 67 international refugees in the 1970s and 1980s, mainly from Vietnam.
Ken served many years as chair of the Germantown Trust, responsible for preservation and maintenance of the "Mother Church" of the Church of the Brethren in North America. He also served two terms on his denomination's national Historical Committee. Ken served as Consultant to the Board of Directors of the Brethren Encyclopedia for planning and conducting commemorative services for the 300 Anniversary (2008) of the founding of the Church of the Brethren in Schwarzenau, Germany.
A Celebration of Life service will be held Sunday, December 7, 2025, 2:00 P.M. in the Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren, 777 S. Mount Joy Street, Elizabethtown, PA 17022. In lieu of flowers, he preferred that any memorial contributions be made to Heifer International, 1 World Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72202, or the J. Kenneth and Carroll L. Kreider Scholarship, Elizabethtown College, c/o Advancement Office, 1 Alpha Drive, Elizabethtown, PA 17022. For more information or to express a condolence with the family, please visit spencefuneralservices.com.