Paul L. von Zech, steel company executive

Paul L. von Zech, 78, vice chairman of the board of the Sandmeyer Steel Co., died of cancer Friday at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center in Willingboro.

Mr. von Zech dropped out of the Drexel Institute of Technology (later Drexel University) in 1955 to take a sales position with Sandmeyer, a Philadelphia manufacturer of stainless steel and nickel alloy plates. He rose to vice president of operations and was executive vice president for 29 years before retiring to the board in 1998.

Mr. von Zech was a recognized expert in his field, his son Paul said. Nicknamed Bear for his imposing size and aggressive personality, he was a "go-get-'em" kind of guy, his son said.

"He ran our plant with a combination of firmness and precision, but it was always tempered with kindness," said Ron Sandmeyer Jr., company president. He was rarely in the office, preferring to keep an eye on operations, Sandmeyer said. He was as comfortable chatting with his employees, his son said, as he was with the Gemini space-program astronauts he met through the company's NASA contracts.

Mr. von Zech played football at the old Lansdowne High School and attended Drexel on a football scholarship for three years. He met his wife, the former Anita diSilverstro, when he was a co-op student at the food marketing company where she was employed.

He and his wife enjoyed family vacations at their summer home on Long Beach Island and spent three weeks in a villa in Italy with their family in 1999. They traveled all over the world, their son said, including to Australia on a Pacific cruise that took them to the 2000 Olympic Games.

In addition to his wife of 52 years and son, Mr. von Zech is survived by daughters Betsy Rhodes and Gloria; and three grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at noon today at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 327 Marlton Pike West, Cherry Hill.

Memorial donations may be made to Urban Promise Ministries P.O. Box 1479, Camden, N.J. 08105.