Dayton Titanic survivor remembered

DAYTON, OH (WDTN-WBDT) - Tom Heiser never met his great grandfather Phillip Zenni from Lebanon, but the stories that were handed down to him. 

You see Tom's great grandfather was a Titanic survivor.

Zenni had left his wife in his native country and set out for a new life in a new world.

He boarded the doomed ship in France and after striking the iceberg he somehow managed to make his way up from his third class cabin and sneak onto a lifeboat after repeatedly being told they were saving the women and children first.

After the tragic accident, Zenni toured around Ohio retelling stories of his time on the Titanic. These tours led him to be known as “Mr. Titanic.”

Zenni passed away in 1927 from pneumonia as a complication of typhoid fever and  is buried in Dayton's Calvary Cemetery. 

(See Calvary's plans to observe the 100th anniversary of Titanic's sinking by clicking HERE and scroll down to the 'Mr. Titanic' section.)

Mr. Heiser, who resides in the Miami Valley, continues to tell the stories of his great grandfather so future generations will never forget those that perished and the few that survived.

For Tom Heiser's interview check out the Bucher's Beat story and also visit our special Titanic section on wdtn.com.