Mack Remembrance - Paul Ritter

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The Morning Call  /  January 6, 2018

Paul C. Ritter, 81, of Macungie, died suddenly in his home on January 1, 2018. He was a was the widower of Rose (Esposito) Ritter. Born in Hoboken, NJ, he was the son of the late Harry M. and Anne (Miller) Ritter.

Paul was a 1957 graduate of Lehigh University.

Paul worked for Mack Trucks, Inc. for 42 years, retiring in 2001 as Vice President of Marketing.

He was a member of Huff's Union Church. He was also a mason and member of the former Warren Lodge #13 and Phillipsburg Lodge #52 F&AM and was a founder of the America on Wheels Museum. Survivors: Sons, Harry M. Ritter, II and wife Carole of Bethlehem; Daughter, Ann Maria wife of Jeffrey McFarland of Seisholtzville; Grandchildren, Sean, Aaron, Brittany Ann, and Chelsea.

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Paul Ritter, ex-Mack Trucks executive, dies 11 days after crash; he was 81

The Morning Call  /  January 2, 2018

Paul C. Ritter, a former Mack Trucks Inc. executive from Lower Macungie Township, died Monday, 11 days after a tractor-trailer collided with his car. He was 81.

Ritter died of natural causes, the Lehigh County coroner’s office said. An autopsy Tuesday found that his death was not related to the Berks County traffic accident.

Ritter, of Steeplechase Drive, worked more than four decades in Mack’s heavy-duty truck sales and marketing, serving at the company’s Allentown headquarters and at offices throughout the United States and Canada.

Robin Crawford, Mack executive director of corporate affairs, said Ritter was an ambassador of goodwill for the company.

“I think everyone liked him,” she said. “He was well-suited for sales. He was very friendly, easy to get along with, and he understood the product. When you talk about Mack people, he was definitely Mack pride.”

In 1959, he joined Mack Trucks. In 1981, he was named president of Mack Canada Inc., where he served three years until his return to Allentown as a senior vice president of sales.

Ritter, who grew up in North Bergen, N.J., was a Lehigh University graduate with a bachelor of science degree in marketing.

Ritter was pulling out of the parking lot of Moll’s Garage at 2936 Seisholtzville Road, Hereford Township, at 1:50 p.m. Dec. 21 when his car was hit by the tractor-trailer, according to state police at Reading.

Troopers said he suffered a head injury in the crash, during which the truck dragged his car about 200 feet to a grassy embankment. Ritter was taken by ambulance to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, where he was treated and released the same day, authorities said.

The truck driver, David L. Steffey, 26, of Leesport, was not at fault, police said.

Crawford said she was shocked by Ritter’s death, because she had heard he had recovered from the crash.

“He was even able to joke about the accident,” she said. “He told friends that he was hit by a truck, but it was not a Mack Truck.” State police noted his car was hit by a Freightliner model.

Ritter was pronounced dead 3:45 p.m. Monday in his home. The autopsy found his head injury in the accident did not contribute to his death.

Since his retirement from Mack, Ritter has served as a board member and as an adviser to the America on Wheels transportation museum in Allentown.

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Paul Ritter, ex-Mack Trucks exec, to be buried in Huff’s Church cemetery

The Morning Call  /  January 5, 2018

Paul C. Ritter, the former Mack Trucks Inc. executive who died Monday in his home, will be remembered next week in services at Huff’s Union Church in Berks County.

The memorial service for Ritter, of Lower Macungie Township, will be 1 p.m. at the church at Conrad and Huffs Church roads, Hereford Township.

Private interment will be in Huff’s Church Cemetery. Schantz Funeral Home of Emmaus is in charge of arrangements.

Ritter, 81, a 1957 graduate of Lehigh University, worked 42 years in the sales and marketing staffs of Mack, serving in the company’s offices throughout the United States and Canada.

In 1981, he was named president of Mack Canada Inc., where he served three years until his return to Allentown as a senior vice president of sales. He retired from Mack in 2001.

Ritter also was a founder, board member and, recently, an adviser to the America on Wheels transportation museum in Allentown.

Born in Hoboken, N.J., he was a son of the late Harry M. and Anne (Miller) Ritter.

He was married to Rose (Esposito) Ritter, who died in 1996. They are survived by a son, Harry M. Ritter II of Bethlehem, and a daughter, Ann Maria McFarland of Seisholtzville.