Rev. Richard P. Fehnel

Rev. Richard P. Fehnel, 92, of Willow Street, passed away on Sunday, March 19, 2023, at Lancaster General Hospital, following a brief illness. He was born on June 27, 1930, in Allentown, PA, the youngest of three sons of his parents, Mamie Alice (Delong) and Eugene Elmer Fehnel, and was raised in Greenawalds, PA. He grew up in a Sears Catalog home built by his father and grandfather. As a child, he attended Christ Evangelical and Reformed Church and later become the first member of the church to become an ordained minister. He graduated from South Whitehall High School in Allentown in 1948, where he was elected Class President. In 1953, he married Arlene Mae Hershey, RN, of Manheim, at the Lancaster Theological Seminary Chapel. They met when she was a nurse at the Franklin & Marshall College infirmary. They had three children, the late Elaine Zartman (Carl), Glenn (Laurie) and James. He is also survived by four grandchildren, Kristin Fenty (Matthew), Matthew Zartman (Emily), Melanie Stoltzfus (Gentry) and Grant Fehnel; two great-grandchildren, Charlotte and Jack Fenty; his stepsister, Dorothy Strohl and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers, Henry and Charles Fehnel, stepbrother, Charles Dankel and stepsister, Marjorie Christman Derr. He earned a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Franklin & Marshall College in 1952. He received BDiv and MDiv degrees from Lancaster Theological Seminary in 1955 and 1976, respectively. In his 70’s and 80’s, he enjoyed singing in the F&M Alumni Chorus. In 1955, he was ordained into the Penn Central Conference of the United Church of Christ. He served as pastor of Christ UCC churches in Cavetown and Funkstown, Maryland; associate pastor at St. Paul’s UCC in Lancaster (now Church of the Apostles); and pastor of Zion UCC in Millersville. In the early 1970’s he completed certification in healthcare chaplaincy and served as the first intern chaplain at Lancaster General Hospital, where he also worked as a counselor in the Addictive Disease Unit. In 1974, he was named the first Director of Pastoral Care and Chaplain of Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee, IL, where he served for 22 years. In 1990, the UCC honored him as Chaplain of the Year. He was very grateful for his wonderful marriage with Arlene, who passed away shortly after the celebration of their 50th anniversary. Upon his retirement, he and Arlene moved back to Lancaster County to be closer to their grandchildren and their lifelong friends in the area. Over the years, he served as a board member for many organizations serving the church, hospice, addiction recovery and community theater. He was an early champion for organ donation in Illinois. Through his ministry and community activities, he was known and loved by many. Family members learned how to artfully extract him from the long conversations he seemed to end up in every time he left the house. Young couples without a church home often chose him to officiate their weddings and would stay in touch with him for decades after. He was a popular cast member of Kankakee Valley Theatre productions, where he was known to boost the energy and camaraderie of the cast. He also enjoyed singing in the F&M Alumni Chorus. After retiring from full-time work, he served as a visitation pastor at Church of the Apostles, a disaster-ministry chaplain and a tour guide for Brunswick Tours. He loved the scenery and history of Lancaster County and never tired of sharing it with others. He lived a life of service to others. He comforted families in their worst hours, provided counsel as people navigated key times in their lives, married and baptized hundreds, and brought positivity to many community organizations, theater casts and choirs. His positive impact will live on in the many lives he touched. Visitation will be held at Church of the Apostles UCC, 1850 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster on Monday, March 27, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. The funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be at Millersville Mennonite Church Cemetery after the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Lancaster County Food Hub at lancasterfoodhub.org.