Roy H. Lerch September 10, 1934 - October 18, 2016

Roy “Whitey” Lerch of Coopersburg passed away on Tuesday of complications developed following a long battle against cancer.  He was 82.The son of the late Roy A. and Rose Lerch (nee Furler). Roy graduated from Allentown High School, and then had followed in his father’s footsteps to became a meat cutter, retiring at age 62 from Pathmark. In military service, he had served in the Quartermaster Corps Branch of the US Army European Command in Germany from 1957 to 1959. He was a sharpshooter and firearms instructor as well.For 40+ years, Roy poured his heart and soul into his love of the outdoors.  He considered it an honor to work in the Pennsylvania State Fish and Game Commission where he rose from associate to be the Lehigh County’s Deputy Game Warden. He had served as President of Lehigh Valley Fish & Game Association, and was an avid participant and member of Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays. He was a member of the Clover Hollow Pheasant Hunting Club, and in retirement delighted in fishing and hunting with friends and family in Canada, Colorado, North Dakota, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, and most recently at Lake Manzanedo in the Poconos.In his youth Roy had been a high school tennis champion and later had been a mainstay on the European Army Command’s tennis team while stationed in Germany.  He had taken second place in a PA State archery competition, and was renowned as the Lehigh Valley’s premier bow-and-arrow gamesman.   He was a patient gun safety teacher who advanced the highest ethical standards of bow and rifle hunting. Roy also spent countless hours on the athletic fields as a little league coach for baseball, softball and football and always enjoyed teaching good sportsmanship first and foremost.

As a family man, he celebrated 60 years of marriage to wife Cecelia (nee Nizio) of Allentown. Roy’s proudest achievement was his treasured role as loving father and grandfather to daughter Karen Braley and sons Randy and David Lerch and their children.Roy’s three sisters are Linda Lerch (nee LeBourdais), C. Judy Lerch and Lyndell Cooke (nee Hicks).  His offspring include: son Randy Lerch (with wife Kristin – nee Petersen) of Frenchtown NJ and grandson Sean; daughter Karen Braley (wife of Tim Braley, and former wife of Rick Hartigan) of Mahwah NJ and three grandchildren Connor, Kyle and Bryce Hartigan; and son David Lerch (with wife Jennifer – nee Figuli),  of Falston, Maryland and grandchildren Annie, Elena and Davey.   He was uncle to Mark LeBourdais and Kristina Waterman (nee LeBourdais).

Services: 10:30 a.m. Friday, October 21st in the Stephens Funeral Home, Inc. 274 North Krocks Road, Allentown. Call 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Thursday, October 20th and 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Friday in the funeral home. Burial immediately to follow at the Greenwood Cemetery, Howertown.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to:

The Norman A. Bleshman Regional Day School*

333 E. Ridgewood Avenue

Paramus, NJ  07652

*(School for the Multiply Disabled)

OR:

Allentown Fish Hatchery

2901 Fish Hatchery Road

Allentown, PA  18103