Richard Kaelberer

Richard Ernest Kaelberer, 81, of Elizabethtown, PA passed away on Thursday, December 19, 2024. He was the loving husband of Jane (Hoffman) Kaelberer to whom he was happily married for 41 years.

He was born in Philadelphia, PA, the son of the late Ernest and Minna Marie (aka Erna) Kaelberer and the brother of his late sister, Erna (Kaelberer) Mason. Richard was the first of his family to be born in the United States.

Richard valued education and in fact graduated three times in his life. The first graduation was from Olney High School in Philadelphia, then with honors from Temple University with a three-year Associate in Technology degree in Electronics, and he lastly graduated with honors from Elizabethtown College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. Richard was a life member of two professional organizations- the Institute of Electronic & Electrical Engineers (IEEE) and the Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers (SMPTE). Richard was a member of the Abraham C. Treichler Lodge #682. He was a Master Mason who received his Third Degree in March, 1995. 

Besides earning three diplomas, Richard had a private pilot’s license, a First-Class Commercial Radiotelephone License (issued in 1963), and an Amateur Radio Extra Class License. He was a Heart Association CPR Instructor Trainer, a Red Cross Advanced First Aid Instructor, and an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). 

Richard retired from Pa Public Television Network Commission in April of 2009 as Chief Engineer & Chief Technology Officer. Previous to his nearly four decades in the television industry, he worked during college for the Reading Railroad as a summer relief Freight Clerk, for Bell Telephone Laboratories in Basic Physics Research on beginning LASER science. He also worked part-time to full time at various television stations as a camera/transmitter operator, video/audio engineer, and Assistant Chief Engineer/shift supervisor.

Christ Church, United Church of Christ was an important part of Richard’s life. He sang second bass in the adult choir, designed and printed banners for the sanctuary and when needed for the outside of the church. Supporting the work of the church through designing posters and building almost full-sized animals for the manger scene was one of his joys. He shared his electronics and television background with the Sound/Media team when the church started live streaming the services due to Covid restrictions. Richard loved to share his bunnies at Easter. He would take them into the church so the children could pet them after the Easter Egg Hunt. He observed that the parents enjoyed interacting with the bunnies just as much as the children did.

Believe it or not, Richard had time for hobbies. He started each day after retirement completing three different word puzzles on his phone while eating breakfast. He said it helped him to wake up his brain for the day. He participated in two ham radio clubs, worked on the model railroad layout at the Masonic Village and ran his engines on the tracks on open house days since the railroad layout at home never got built! He enjoyed reading, playing card and dice games, coloring, putting jigsaw puzzles together, and of course, watching television. Having been born in Philadelphia and worked in Pittsburgh led to a love of both the Eagles and the Steelers. Although, he always rooted for the Eagles when they played the Steelers. Other activities included volunteering as a firefighter in Hershey and Elizabethtown, as an EMT with Medic 5 (the seed organization for Mesa), and serving for twenty years on the Elizabethtown Planning Commission. He enjoyed photographing his world to the extent of getting up before sunrise on vacation to get pictures of the sun rising over the ocean. Richard had a passion for baking bread and German Christmas cookies. He wanted to ensure that the hundred-year-old cookie recipes survived into the next generation of bakers.

He enjoyed traveling by land, sea and air. Some of his favorite trips were to Bermuda, Germany, Lake Placid, NY, Williamsburg, VA, and Myrtle Beach, SC.

In addition to his wife, Jane, he is survived by one son, Eric, partner of Heather Harris, four grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. 

There will be a Masonic service, and a Celebration of Life held at Christ Church, U.C.C. 247 S. Market Street, Elizabethtown, PA for Richard on April 5, 2025. The service begins at 11:00 am. His ashes will be interred in the church’s Memorial Garden after the service. A luncheon will be held in the downstairs Social Room following the interment. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Richard’s memory to The Healing Journey Foundation at The Lancaster Cancer Center, 703 Lampeter Road, Lancaster, PA 17602 and/or The Elevator Fund at Christ Church, U.C.C. 247 S. Market Street, Elizabethtown, PA 17022 (Please write ‘Elevator Fund’ in the memo line on your check)