Ralph Brechbill

Ralph William Brechbill, 97, of Chambersburg, PA, passed away Sunday morning, May 4, 2014 at his home. Born April 6, 1917 in Shippensburg, he was a son of the late Jacob Tobias and Ellie Mae Wenger Brechbill. A US Army veteran of WWII, Ralph served with the 90th Infantry Division and participated in the Normandy Invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Purple Heart with oak leaf clusters for being wounded in combat three times. He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal and the Infantry Combat Badge with four stars. He was discharged from the Army at the rank of NCO Sergeant. Ralph retired from carpentry after 40 years and also farmed for twenty years. He was a member of Mt. Pleasant United Brethren Church and its King’s Sons and Daughters Sunday School Class. He was also a member of Burt J. Asper Post 46 American Legion in Chambersburg and a former member of the Farmer’s Co-Op. He enjoyed watching baseball. His beloved wife, Helen M. Forrester Brechbill, whom he married April 1, 1941 in Alexandria, VA, preceded him in death on August 18, 2005.

He is survived by three daughters, Dolly Knight of Chambersburg, PA, Sharon Shields of Columbia, MD, and Cheryl Brechbill of Herndon, VA; two grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; and a sister, Bertha Henry of Fayetteville, PA. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by four brothers, Roy, Orville, Guy, and Reuben; and five sisters, Leah Brechbill, Cora Brown, Mary Crider, Emma Foust, and Rhoda VanHorn.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM Friday, May 9, 2014 in the Chapel of Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 333 Falling Spring Road, Chambersburg, PA with Rev. Garry Culler officiating. Interment with military honors will follow at Salem Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 7:00-9:00 PM Thursday and from 9:00-10:00 AM Friday at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to Lutheran Home Care and Hospice, Inc., Franklin County, 2075 Luther Drive, Chambersburg, PA 17202 or to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675 or at www.support.woundedwarriorproject.org.