Robert W. "Bill" Kunkle

Robert W. “Bill” Kunkle, 77, of Fayetteville, PA passed away on Sunday, January 30, 2022 at Chambersburg Hospital. He was born April 17, 1944, in Carlisle to the late Robert C. and Helen E. (McMeen) Kunkle. He was a 1962 graduate of Boling Springs High School.

Dad lived an extraordinary life and had an immeasurable impact on us.

He was a farmer, an expert fisherman, a cave explorer, a rock climber, a hunter, a skilled hockey player, a hiker, camper and canoeist, a ladies man, he rode motorcycles and horses, was pinned down by gunfire, and a reluctant brawler. Then, he graduated high school.

He was an epic storyteller with an ornery sense of humor. He always left us rolling with laughter. No one told a story like he did. He would have loved the humor in the above opening line.

He was a Vietnam veteran, having served in the Air Force. He had stories he would tell from his adventures in Vietnam and others he would not.

He shared his love of adventure with all of us, long before adventure sports was the latest popular fad. He taught us all how to read a river and enjoy canoeing and whitewater rafting. There were many trips down rivers and streams. Once he was scuba certified, he ensured we were, too. He taught himself how to sail. There were no sailing lessons from anyone, ever. If not for circumstance, he would have been an expert sailor. Since he was a pilot, he made sure we also enjoyed the thrill of flying a plane. Something none of us could have done on our own.

He was a teacher and mentor like no other. Wherever his passions took him, he made sure to take us along with him. His love and desire to share with his family knew no bounds. Even on vacations, he would teach us about wherever we happened to be. Pure chance made him a bee keeper. So, he made sure we all learned about bees and always had honey. Having built everything from bee hives to boats, he worked wood down to the millimeter. He would spend an entire day setting up a saw just to make one single cut. That cut was always perfect.

Boy Scout troop leader, swim team and baseball coach, he was whatever he needed to be for his kids. He was incredibly fair and strived constantly to be so, especially with his children and grandchildren. So much so, that when he became a boat builder, he planned on making not one boat but six, so everyone could have a boat he had built.

Vietnam to Europe, Alaska to Boston, the Bahamas to Baja California, he was an extremely well-traveled man.

He was highly intelligent. He understood Albert Einstein's theories, like most people read recipes. He created a computer program for the Army that was the first of its kind and is still in use today. He was a voracious reader, leading all of us to be avid readers and lifelong learners by his example. He loved to read about history, specifically World War II, as well as science and science fiction. He even dabbled in writing a science fiction novel himself. He was a self-taught expert in nearly anything that caught his interest.

Dad lived a full and extraordinary life. He was well-rounded and interested in so many things that he could not be easily defined. The world's most interesting man can't hold a candle to our father.

The one thing he did not want, was for anyone to feel sad when he left us, but he was asking us to do the impossible. We can not help but feel the incredible loss of such an extraordinary and loving man. He was a husband, a father, and a grandpa... and he is irreplaceable.

He is survived by his wife of 34 years Susie J. (Knouse) Kunkle; children Greggery A. Kunkle and his wife Amanda of Garrett County, MD, Jim Kunkle and his wife Elaine of Adams County, PA, Timothy W. Morris of Chambersburg, and Lori R. Garner and her husband Paul of Fairfax, VA; grandchildren David, Alaina, Andria, Matthew, Layne, Tristan, Olivia, Samuel, and Caleb. Also survived by nephews Dave, Jeff, and Eric.

Funeral services will be held privately and at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers, people can donate to the following non-profit. It was something my dad was very passionate about. He would be happy the money would go to restoring a historic airplane for everyone to enjoy instead of flowers.


https://planesoffame.org/collection/restoration-projects