Ingo Zeise

Ingo Zeise, 80, of Elkton, MD, passed away March 5, 2012 at University of Maryland Medical Center after a brief illness.

Born in Wilmington, DE on February 20, 1932, Ingo was the son of German immigrants, the late Kurt S. and Ilse Ahlemann Zeise. He was raised in Arden, DE and adopted Cecil County as home in 1965 upon return from Tennessee. He attended public schools in Arden and Wilmington, DE and graduated from P.S. DuPont High School in 1949. He received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Delaware in 1953 and was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity and played varsity soccer. He was in the Naval Reserve from 1949-1956 and active duty from 1954-56.

He joined DuPont Engineering Dept. Construction Division in 1956 as Safety Inspector and held various field assignments as safety professional in DE, NJ, MI and TN. Ingo was promoted to Assistant Manager of Safety, Fire and Health in 1965 at Louviers Building, Newark, DE. He had responsibility for coordination of DuPont Construction Safety worldwide. He became Global Manager, Safety & Occupational Health in 1979, serving as staff consultant to the Director of Construction for all DuPont construction activity worldwide. He served on the corporate Engineering Standards Committee and participated in the development of the DuPont Contractors’ Safety Administration Program and was corporate resource on control of airborne asbestos. After taking early volunteer retirement in 1985, he formed ZCON, Inc. Safety Management Consulting and provided consulting service to clients of DuPont’s Safety and Environmental Management Services business. This entailed travel worldwide to serve clients across the United States, Norway, Italy, Indonesia, Luxembourg and Canada. His clients included major Fortune 500 companies. He also served as expert witness in personal injury litigation, testifying nationwide for both defense and plaintiff. He was an advisor on risk management, administration of injury claims under Workers’ Compensation and consulted on insurance ‘wrap up’ programs. During his career, he received numerous professional certifications and was a member of several professional organizations.

Active in the community, Ingo was a member of the Board of Directors of the Cecil County Chamber of Commerce for 20 years, served 2 terms as chair of the Board of Directors of the Cecil College Foundation and Chair of the Board Development Committee. He also served two terms on the Board of Directors of the University of Delaware Alumni Association, was a past member of the Republican Central Committee, and participated in fund raising for the American Cancer Society. An Eagle Scout, he was active with Scouting and was a waterfront counselor at Camp Rodney. Ingo was also active with the United Way, a 10 year member of the Cecil County Board of Licensing Commissioners, a member of the Cecil County Comprehensive Plan Committee and the Airport Planning Commission.

Ingo is survived by his wife, Phyllis R. Zeise of Elkton; two daughters, Kim Zeise Neel and her husband Ralph of Columbia, SC and Lisa Zeise and her husband Miles Chedekel of Hobbs NM; stepchildren, Shannon Uhl and her husband John and Brooke Terranova and her husband Ben, both of Wilmington; and 7 grandchildren, Amanda Lisa Neel, Benjamin, Michael, Paul and Carmine Terranova and Griffin and Dawson Uhl. He was preceded in death by his first wife Carol N. Zeise who died in 2001.

A celebration honoring Ingo’s life will be held at Janes United Methodist Church, 213 Walnut St., Rising Sun, MD 21911 on Saturday March 10, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. friends and family may call at the church beginning at 10:00. Burial will be private.