Obituary of Frank Stephen Zettle

Frank S. Zettle, 91, of State College, died Wednesday, March 11, 2015 at Foxdale Village. Born July 6, 1923, in Berwick, a son of the late Arch and Vera Zettle. He was one of twelve children. After attending high school, he enrolled in Pfeiffer Jr. College in North Carolina. After one semester, he was drafted in the army and assigned to the Army Specialized Training Corps at Princeton University studying engineering. Following this training, he was assigned to the Seventh Field Artillery Observation Battalion, a part of the Third Army in Europe, receiving five battle stars. Following his discharge from the army, he enrolled at Penn State, graduating as salutatorian of the Class of 1948, in agronomy. He was employed by the Agricultural Cooperative Extension Service and assigned to Lycoming County. He was then appointed County Agricultural Agent of Adams County at Gettysburg. As part of his agricultural duties, he worked very close with the Eisenhower farm. Following the President's death, the farm was deeded to the National Park Service. He was asked to contribute to the oral history of the farm. In 1963, he was appointed Regional Director of Extension, in charge of ten counties in Central Pennsylvania. Before moving to State College, he spent a year at the University of Wisconsin, receiving a degree in Extension Administration. In addition to his role as regional director, he served as Secretary of the Farm Show Commission at Harrisburg, representing Penn State. He retired from Penn State in 1984. Frank was married to Harriet Fedder in 1947 until her death in 2009. They had two sons, Andy, living in Huntington, West Virginia and Theodore, living in Fuquay-Varina, NC. They were blessed with three grandchildren. He was a devoted fly fisherman and was active in the Spring Creek Chapter of Trout Unlimited. He also loved gardening and was an active member of the Central Pennsylvania Orchid Society. He moved to Foxdale in 2001. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m., on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at Foxdale Village, 500 East Marylyn Ave, State College. Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com.