Dean Sherdell Reider, age 89, of Chambersburg, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, June 23, 2025, while undergoing physical rehabilitation at Paramount Senior Living in Fayetteville. He was looking forward to returning home within a few days.
Dean was born on July 5, 1935, in Bittersville, PA, the youngest son of the late Milton B. and Alverta V. (Smith) Reider. He was raised in the Salem E.U.B. Church near Martinsville, PA, and loved the Lord. Following cremation, his ashes will be buried alongside his parents’ gravesite at the Salem Cemetery and his in-laws’ gravesite at the Bethlehem United Methodist Church Cemetery in Windsor Township, PA.
He is survived by his beloved wife, Joan A. (Wierman) Reider; his daughter, Jennifer E. Reider, and his daughter-in-law, Joy M. Reider Simpson, both of Centreville, MD. In addition to his parents, Dean was preceded in death by his sister, Leola “Peggy” M. Brenneman, and three brothers, Quinton “Tink” D. Reider, Llewellyn “Fritz” C. Reider, and Levere “Barney” J. Reider.
Dean graduated from William Penn Senior High School in York, PA, and went on to serve proudly in the United States Navy for four years, including aboard an aircraft carrier during the final days of the Korean War. After his military service, he attended the Armstrong Floor Covering School and later founded his own flooring business in the 1970s, serving clients across York County.
A man of many interests, Dean was widely known for raising championship-quality exhibition poultry, especially Columbian Wyandotte bantams and Embden geese. He was also a passionate gardener, orchardist, and beekeeper. Dean enjoyed tracing his family’s roots, researching genealogy back to ancestors who immigrated from Germany in the early 1700s. A lifelong sports enthusiast, he played county league baseball and remained a devoted fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers. Additionally, he enjoyed collecting antique and vintage items, including poultry books, stoneware, and radio Long Ranger, cereal, and tobacco premiums.
Dean was deeply committed to his family. He cared for his elderly mother and older siblings and was a steadfast supporter of his wife’s nursing career and his daughter’s athletic and academic pursuits, cheering her on from childhood through college.
Professional services are entrusted to Dugan Funeral Home, Inc., 111 South Main St., Bendersville. A Private Celebration of Life will be held for close family and friends on July 4, 2025 – just one day before what would have been his 90th birthday. In anticipation of that milestone, Dean had already made plans for the occasion, including ordering chocolate cake, his favorite, and requesting additional flavors to reflect the preferences of each family member.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to honor Dean’s memory with a donation to a charity of your choice. Friends may express online condolences at www.DuganFH.com.