Ralph Leroy Weitzel, Jr.

Ralph “Bup” Weitzel, 78, of Shartlesville, passed away Wednesday, October 16, 2024 surrounded by his family, after a courageous battle with cancer. Ralph was born in Reading, PA and raised lovingly by his maternal grandparents, Walter and Lizzie Stamm in Womelsdorf, PA. Ralph is survived by his devoted wife of 59 years, Lorraine. In addition to his wife, he is survived by 5 children, Sherrie A. Price, wife of Randy Price, Kelly S. Weitzel, Sheila A. Knepp, wife of Randy Knepp, Jerry L. Weitzel, husband of Kathy Weitzel and Jason A. Weitzel; 10 grandchildren, Vanessa, Ashley, Zachary, Kyle, Brittany, Hunter, Heather, Dylan, Hannah and Jason Jr. as well as 11 great grandchildren. Ralph is also survived by sisters, Joyce, Shirley, Gloria and Barbara as well as his brothers, George and Jimmy. Ralph was predeceased by his brother, Richard from 1968 to 1988, 

Ralph was employed by the Tulpehocken Dairy as their Dairy Manager. After the dairy’s closure, Ralph worked at Glen Gary as a grinder where he ultimately retired.

 In his earlier years, Ralph was an avid hunter from deer hunting to small game and everything in between and took great pride in his gun collection. He had a passion for antique car shows and was a stickler for keeping his vehicles in immaculate condition. His hobbies included wood-working whether it was building barns for his grandchildren or wood burning art. Ralph and lifelong friend, Leon Brubaker, always looked forward to attending auctions and discovering new antiques. Hobbies and interests aside, Ralph’s true pride and heart was his family. He was a family man through and through, consistently showing up for his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren in any way that he could. He was steadfast in his love and support for his family. His raucous jokes, hearty laughter, contagious grin and bright blue eyes will be profoundly missed.

 A special thanks to Ralph’s Compassus team providing guidance, care and support to the family.

A viewing will be held from 4 to 6 PM Saturday, October 19th with a service to follow at 6PM in the Kirkhoff Funeral Home, 206 N. Main Street Bernville PA 19560.