Berks business planner Verna Dietrich dies

When Verna Dietrich turned 90 in 2021, 1,500 people turned out for a birthday party and fireworks display at the Kempton Community Centre.

Known throughout Berks County and beyond, she worked for 67 years at the Krumsville country store she founded with her late husband, Willard, in 1957.

Verna died Wednesday at the age of 93, her son Marlin said Thursday.

Aside from persistent knee problems, Marlin said, he was relatively healthy for his age.

He said: “He was in his office every day, working until the end.”

During a lifetime as one of the most visible people in the Pennsylvania Dutch community, Verna touched the lives of many.

“His passing marks the loss of one of Berks County’s most enduring pillars of rural, farm, country, mountain and traditional ways of life,” said Dave Kline, author and state activist. “The things he loves will never be seen again.”

Verna Dietrich was a friend she talked to in person or on the phone for hours at a time, said Kline, host of the Mountain Folk radio show and Berks State a journalist.

He remembers her as a strong, self-made woman who left her family farm to found and lead successful family businesses in the county.

“Rest in peace, Verna,” Kline said. And watch God, if you’re not careful Verna will have all kinds of cakes and pastries to go with spekwascht, blutwurst and Chucker partridges.

Pride in products

Marlin, who was only 18 years old when his parents opened their local shop, said he was proud of the products he made and the strength that supported Verna over the years.

“He was about quality. And, he loved people,” she said.

Verna Leiby grew up on a dairy farm in Windsor Township.

In 1952, she married Willard Dietrich. Together, they ran a farm, maintained a huckster road and started a station at Renninger’s Farmers Market in Kutztown. The family has had a stand at the Kutztown Folk Festival for nearly 40 years.

And their sons – Marlin, Lynn and Glenn – opened Dietrich’s Meats and Country Store along old Route 22 in Greenwich Township in 1957.

Bratwurst Talks

When a delegation from the German Bundestag visited the shop about 10 years ago, Verna participated in what can be called bratwurst diplomacy.

Modeling Dietrich’s signature Lebanese bologna, Reinhard Butikofer of the Green Party declared the German-American delicacy a game-changer.

Butikofer, then a member of the European Parliament, said: “The phrase ‘cut the baloney’ has a completely different meaning here.

At the time, Lehigh County Rep. Charlie Dent enticed German guests to try one of Dietrich’s Lebanese bologna options made every year for the Super Bowl.

Dad. Dutch stalwart

Berks County Commissioner Christian Y. Leinbach, a lifelong friend, assessed Verna’s impact on the Pennsylvania Dutch community.

He said Verna was placed with Hamburg funeral director Domer Leibensperger and DeLight Breidegam, founder of East Penn Industries, as self-made Pennsylvania Dutch business owners.

“He was the last of the true business leaders of Pennsylvania Dutch Berks County,” Leinbach said. They all pronounced Pennsylvania Dutch.

Throughout her life, Verna pushed to keep the language alive, Leinbach said.

“His longevity reflects the essence of the local Pennsylvania Dutch flavor,” he said, recalling his Dutchy commercials on WEEU Radio. “His mark will be on the family business as long as it lasts.”

Historian George M. Meiser IX mentioned Verna Dietrich several times in “The Passing Scene,” his 25-photo history of Berks County.

“He was a larger-than-life person,” Meiser said. “If he was in the room, you knew he was there.”

Verna left an indelible mark on the culture surrounding Kempton, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, Meiser said.

Once, during a book signing at Dietrich’s Meats, Meiser recalled Verna bringing him a plate of cold cuts.

He said: “He was a kind person, who always took the time to talk to you.”

Originally published: August 8, 2024 at 5:05 pm