Franz Karl Schlesiger, 81, of Camp Hill passed away on May 4, 2017. He was one of 11 children born to Franz and Magdalena Schlesiger in the city of Mehlsack, in the former East Prussia on December 15, 1935. His family was evacuated to southern Germany during the soviet advance near the end of WWII as part of Operation Hannibal. As a young man in 1958, Mr. Schlesiger sailed to the United States as a shoemaker aboard the ship S.S. Hanseatic. He was drafted by the American Army in 1959 and was deployed to Germany, where he served on active duty until 1962, when he was honorably discharged. He worked for a number of shoe manufacturers over the years until his retirement and resided in Camp Hill until his death. He is survived by his sister Margarete Benz of Germany and four children: Karsten Schlesiger and his wife Sharon, of Enola; Rainer Schlesiger and his wife Rita, of Circle Pines, MN; Martin Schlesiger and his wife Jackie, of York Haven; Britta Schlesiger Sparks, and her husband Mark, of Owings, MD; and four grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his siblings Erwin Wobbe, Rudi Schlesiger, Mia Putz, Gregor Schlesiger, Ulla Schlipf, Clements Schlesiger, Christel Hartmann, and Karl Schlesiger, all of Germany. A graveside service with military honors will be held in the chapel at Ft. Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Indiantown Gap Rd., Annville, PA, on May 19, 2017 at 10:00am. He will then be interred within the Ft. Indiantown Gap Columbarium. Myers-Harner Funeral & Cremation Services of Camp Hill has been entrusted with funeral arrangements.