William Pukmel

William T. Pukmel, age 72, of Chambersburg, PA died on Thursday, October 20, 2011 in his home. Born on September 23, 1939 in New York, New York, he was a son of the late Waslow and Frances (Maljan) Pukmel of New York, New York.
After serving his country with the U.S. Air Force, Bill attended Porterville College in California. A broadcast and print journalist for 35 years, his career included the positions of news director at radio stations in California and New York. He was Managing Editor at the Poughkeepsie Journal (a daily newspaper) in Poughkeepsie, NY until 1986, when he was transferred by Gannett and became Executive Editor of the Public Opinion (a daily newspaper) in Chambersburg, PA from 1986-92. In 1995 he joined the Gettysburg Times (a daily newspaper) as Editor. He was also the editor and publisher for three years of the Gazette, a weekly newspaper in Chambersburg, and he served as Vice President of the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce for two years. In 1992 he and his wife, Marilyn, launched Pukmel & Pukmel, a public relations firm. He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Marilyn (Moore) Pukmel, whom he married in 1988; five sons from a previous marriage, Michael (and wife, Xiaobin) Pukmel of Burlington MA, Stephen (and wife, Robin) Pukmel of Greencastle, PA, Mark (and wife, Jodi) Pukmel of Poughkeepsie, NY, Charles Pukmel of Boston, MA, and Christopher Pukmel of Flagstaff, AZ; three grandchildren, Stephen Pukmel of Greencastle, PA, Elizabeth Pukmel of Waynesboro, PA and Brian Pukmel of Burlington MA; one great-grandchild, Cadon of Waynesboro, PA.; and Marilyn's son, Andrew (and wife, Neely) Stone of Red Hook, NY. He is also survived by two sisters, Rose Musti, of Linglestown, PA and Helen Mullins of Miamisburg, Ohio,
A memorial service will be held at 2 PM on Monday, October 31, 2011 in the chapel of the Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 333 Falling Spring Road, Chambersburg, with visitation from 12-2 PM. The Rev. Dr. William H. Harter will officiate. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Foundation for Enhancing Communities (T.F.E.C.) specifically for addition to the Marilyn and Bill Pukmel fund of the Franklin County Foundation, a component of TFEC. Condolences and memories may be shared on his Book of Memories page at www.geiselfuneralhome.com.