Michele Theodora Heizmann Lauter
OBITUARY
Michele Theodora Heizmann Lauter, 73, of Reading, passed away in her Centre Park residence in the early morning hours of March 13.
She was the devoted wife of Michael E. Lauter. The couple married October 2, 1976.
A beloved wife, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend, she was born May 6, 1952, to the late Richard E. Heizmann Sr. and Simone M. (Mothu) Heizmann. Her mother was born in France and Michele took great pride in the French legacy of her maternal ancestry.
She was a member of St. Margaret’s Roman Catholic Church in Centre Park.
Michele graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1970 and earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Kutztown University in 1974.
She then began working at Penncraft Enterprises, the East Reading-based company founded by her father in 1954. She became owner in 2005 and retained that position until her passing.
Michele and Mike made their home in a beautiful Centre Park home for their entire married life. She was a beloved neighbor known for entertaining at their home in large, sometimes themed parties, and on the front porch for the former large city Memorial Day and Labor Day parades that passed along Centre Avenue. Her home, filled with collectibles and artwork that showcases the Lauters’ love of original creations, was often filled with folks enjoying her superb cooking and formally set table featuring fine china, silverware, linen napkins, and crystal goblets, a setting that encouraged lively conversations and story-telling well into many evenings.
Michele loved and served her city. She was a member of the Reading Redevelopment Authority from 1998 through 2013, serving as president from 2001 to 2010.
She was on the Centre Park Historic District board of directors, holding the post of president in 1990-1991. She also served several terms as a trustee for the Historical Society of Berks County, now the Berks History Center.
In addition to husband Michael, she is survived by her brothers Richard E. Heizmann Jr., Peter J. Heizmann and his wife Sharon, David L. Heizmann, and Timothy R. Heizmann and his wife Rori; her sister Stephanie J. Vittoria; and sisters-in-law Cindy Heizmann and Lorena Cheka, as well as a niece, five nephews, and an array of Heizmann and Lauter cousins.
In addition to her parents, Michele was predeceased by brothers Thomas M. Heizmann and Robert L. Heizmann, and brother-in-law Anthony N. Vittoria.
Michele will be long remembered by her Centre Park neighbors, her friends on her BARTA bus routes, and for giving the best hugs to those she knew and loved and to strangers who returned them with warm smiles.
She was an avid reader of mysteries. Michele’s sense of style and her affinity for hats and her ubiquitous expression of “pooff!” could certainly have qualified her as a character in many of those stories.
In lieu of flowers contributions in Michele’s name may be made to the Centre Park Historic District, 705 Centre Ave. Reading, PA 19601
Friends and relatives are invited to attend her Mass of Christian Burial that will be celebrated at St. Catherine of Siena R.C. Church, 4975 Boyertown Pike Reading, (Jacksonwald) PA 19606 at 11 Am on Saturday March 21, 2026. Friends are invited to gather from 10 Am until the time of service. Ample parking is available. Mausoleum encryptment will take place at the convenience of the family. For directions to the church, please call the funeral home.
Arrangements entrusted to John P. Feeney Funeral Home, Inc. 625 N. 4th Street at Centre Ave., Reading, PA 19601, 610-372-4160. Obituary and condolences at www.johnpfeeney.com.