Richard Methner

Richard William Methner, a long time resident of Chambersburg, died quietly in his sleep on December 10th at the VA Medical Center in Martinsburg, WV at the age of 99. Richard was born August 19, 1916 in Old Bridge, NJ, to Charles and Catherine Methner, the fourth oldest of ten children, two of whom died in infancy. He graduated from South River High School in South River, NJ in 1935, and joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936, stationed in Washington State near Mount Rainier. Richard was drafted into the US Army in February of 1941, and was discharged in November of 1945. He served as a Technical Sergeant in the Medical Detachment of the 325th Glider Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division. Richard participated in the Normandy, Rhineland, and Ardennes-Alsace campaigns in France, Belgium, and Holland, and in Berlin as a member of the Occupation Force. He was the recipient of numerous decorations for his US military service, including the Bronze Star Medal, and was awarded the Belgian Fourragere for his service in the Battle of the Bulge, the Dutch Militaire Willems Orde for his initial combat action in Holland, and the French Croix de Guerre Fourragere and the French Legion of Honor for his service in France.
After his military service he obtained a position through the Pentagon as a civilian employee at the European Command Headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany where he worked for two years from 1946-47. Shortly after his return to the States from Germany in 1947, he married Brenda Miller of Kingsport, TN. After an extended honeymoon in Florida and Tennessee, Richard began his career as a civilian employee of the US Federal Government in New Jersey in 1949. He was eventually transferred to Lettterkenny Army Depot in 1962 where he worked as an Inventory Management Specialist until his retirement in 1975, after 38 years of government service. Richard was a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and was a Charter Member and former Commander of VFW Post #7508 in Old Bridge, NJ. He was also a Charter Member of the 82nd Airborne Division Association, an active member of the Hamilton Ruritan Club for over 25 years, receiving the Tom Downing Fellow Award in 2004, and was a Life Member of National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) Post #1063. Richard faithfully attended Crider’s United Brethren Church since 1966 where he taught Sunday school youth for 18 years.
Richard was happily married to Brenda for 68 years and was the proud father of their three sons, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, reading, and his family. He led a long and eventful life, marked by a remarkable sense of self-discipline, integrity, and personal responsibility. He was the first in his family to own a bicycle, the first to own a car, the first to own a home, and the first to provide a home for his mother and siblings. He built two homes for his family, the second of which they have occupied for 49 years. Richard was a wonderful father, husband, and friend, whose caring and genuine nature was loved and cherished by the many lives he touched.
Funeral services will be held in the chapel of the Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home at 333 Falling Spring Road in Chambersburg on Tuesday, December 15, at 1:00 pm, with a viewing held prior to the services, beginning at 12:00. The burial will follow in Park Lawns Memorial Gardens. An informal reception for family and friends will follow the ceremony at the family home on Edenville Road. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in his name may be made to the Wounded Warriors Fund or the local SPCA.