G. Wayne Laepple

G. Wayne Laepple, of Lancaster, died on July 10, 2023. Born in Philadelphia on July 12, 1947, to George J. and Susan E. Laepple, he lived there until 1954, when the family went to Ras Tanuara, Saudi Arabia, where his father was employed by the Arabian American Oil Co. (ARAMCO). During the time they lived overseas, the family traveled extensively, and by the time he was 12, Laepple had visited more than 15 countries and had circumvented the globe. The family returned to the United States in 1960 and settled in Hatfield, Pa. After graduating from high school in 1965, he enrolled at Bloomsburg State College, receiving a degree in education in 1969. In college, he was active with the Bloomsburg Players, managing the scenery shop during his junior and senior years. While at Bloomsburg, he met the love of his life, and he and Kathryn (Kitty) Kiner were married on June 6, 1970. They have two daughters, Kate Laepple Hertzog (Ed) and Anny Laepple (Jamie), both of Havertown, and three granddaughters. His daughters, both accomplished professional women, and his granddaughters were his greatest achievement, he often said. Laepple liked to say he didn’t know what he wanted to be when he grew up, so he had a varied career. When any career stopped being fun, he moved on. He taught junior high English in Spring Grove and Danville for 12 years, then spent 20 years managing short line railroads in North Carolina, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Then he became a reporter for The Daily Item in Sunbury, where he reported local news and wrote a popular weekly column, “Now Hear This,” about the local and regional live music scene. He retired from the newspaper at the end of 2009 and worked part-time until 2013 when he and Kitty moved to Lancaster to be closer to their children and grandchildren. For most of his life, he was an ardent railroad enthusiast, riding trains pulled by steam locomotives whenever and wherever he could, and for 60 years was deeply involved in the preservation and restoration of rail equipment. He was a longtime member of the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum in Alna, Me., and the Friends of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. He volunteered in the restoration shops at both places. He also wrote feature articles for Trains magazine and reported for the magazine’s on line “News Wire.” He was a voracious reader as well, often reading two or three books a week. He enjoyed a variety of genres from detective fiction to American history and politics. Live music was his other passion, especially blues, jazz and old time rock and roll. In addition to his wife, daughters and their husbands, and granddaughters, he is survived by his brother Bruce (Brenda) of Centerville, Oh., his half-sister Phyllis Humpl (Max) of Philadelphia, Pa., cousins, nieces and nephews. In keeping with his wishes, his body was donated to science. If you are so moved, his family invites you to make a donation in his memory to the Build 11 Fund at the Wiscasset, Waterville & Farmington Railway Museum or the Lancaster Public Library. A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date.