William Edward Diehl, 96, died peacefully May 30, 2021, at Luther Crest, Allentown. He was the husband of the late Judith Ruhe Diehl for 68 years. He was the son of Hilda (Yellis) Diehl and Henry Diehl.

A product of the Allentown public schools, he served in World War II and then enrolled in Lehigh University, graduating summa cum laude with a civil engineering degree. He joined Bethlehem Steel, where he worked for 32 years. He retired in 1981 after being manager of sales for the company for 11 years. He founded Riverbend Resource Center, doing management consulting for profit and nonprofit organizations and serving on the board of directors and as interim president for Barker Steel in Boston.

He served in World War II in the European Theater as a combat medic with a tank battalion and later witnessed the unspeakable brutality of human existence as he helped to liberate concentration camps.

For over 30 years, he was a leader in the Lutheran Lay Movement. He wrote the books “Christianity and Real Life,” “Thank God, It’s Monday!,” “In Search of Faithfulness” and “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over,” co-authored with his wife.

He was a lay member of the National Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and served on the Commission for a New Lutheran Church. He was on the board of directors for the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsivity. He was a leader in the National Institute for Lay Training and, for nine years, was the president of Lutheran Academy.

As a member of The Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit in Emmaus, he was board member/founder for the Center for Faith and Life and chairperson for the ministry in daily life committee. He served as a member of the justice and advocacy committee for the Lehigh County Conference of Churches.

He and his wife were honored in 1993 with the Jack P. Houlihan Community Volunteer Award from the United Way of the Greater Lehigh. In recognition of his life’s work, he was awarded several honorary degrees, including an honorary doctorate from Wartburg College.

He is survived by children: Shelley Geballe (Gordon), of Branford, Conn.; William A. (Jeanne Birdsall), of Northampton, Mass.; Georgia Rackley, of Enola and Jennifer Welborn (Carlos Gradil), of Amherst, Mass; grandchildren: Joshua (Allison), Benjamin (Rachel) and Daniel (Linda) Geballe; David (Allison) and Amy (Tim Carlson); Nicholas (Laura) Rackley and Kelsey and Jesse Welborn; great-grandchildren: William, Kaylee, Shai, Avi, Micah, Ezra, Mealea, Oscar, Edward, Quinn, Elliott and Henry. He was predeceased by a grandson, Brendan Rackley and a granddaughter, Rebecca Geballe.

Contributions may be made to the William E. and Judith Ruhe Diehl scholarship fund at Muhlenberg College, 2400 Chew St., Allentown, 178014-5586.

A memorial celebration will be held at a later date. Arrangements were made by the J.S. Burkholder Funeral Home, Inc., Allentown.