Earl Thomas Kegel, of Drumore, PA, passed away Tuesday, January 19 at his home with his beloved family by his side. He was 62. Known to his family as Tom, Tommy, or Pappy, and to most people as Earl, he was the husband of Vicky Lynn Kegel. They were married on Valentine’s Day in 1974, and would be celebrating their forty-second wedding anniversary. Mr. Kegel was born in Lancaster on September 21, 1953, to the late Clarence and Doris Kegel. In addition to his wife, Earl is survived by three children, Earl Jr, Jesse, and Sarah, all residing in Southern Lancaster County, and also by grandson Dylan. He is also survived by a large family of siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. Siblings are Dr. Margaret Kegel Cooke, Dr. Cynthia Kegel, Clarence C. Kegel, Jr., Esq., Robert J. Kegel, J. David Kegel, and half sisters Anna Mae Hauck and Doris Blanford. Together with his brother David, Earl owned and managed Kegel’s Seafood restaurant from 1988 to 2008. His first job was with Kegel’s Produce, which was founded by his beloved Uncle Earl Kegel for whom he was named. His adventuresome side was shown by his next job in which he traveled across the country as a chimney sweep. He started work at Kegel’s Seafood in the 1970s, continued to work there after its sale in 2008, and thereafter worked for a period of time at Mr. Bill’s Seafood. He loved the outdoors and was an avid fisherman, hunter, and part-time farmer.mFishing—mostly deep sea fishing– was a passion acquired from his father. As a boy there was fresh water fishing in the North East River and the Chesapeake, and many fishing trips off Cape May, N.J, Ocean City Maryland, and in Florida. After his marriage, Earl’s favorite spot was Cape Hatteras, N.C., where he vacationed every year with his family and had a fishing boat for a period of time. The number of big tuna, marlin, wahoo, mahi-mahi, and sharks caught in these waters is too big to count. On his little farm, Earl grew tomatoes and other vegetables that were not only delicious, but that became part of the restaurant menu—adding a special touch of home grown, farm fresh, organic vegetables– long before “organic” and “farm fresh” were popularized. This was a special and very real touch not found in many other places. He was also a great cook!
Most of all, Earl loved his wife Vicky and their immediate family. He was extremely proud of his children, and held a special place in his heart for his grandson Dylan, with whom he loved to spend time “doing chores” around the farm. In past years, Earl was an active member of the Elks Club, Lodge #134, and he greatly enjoyed and appreciated the club for its good work supporting youth in our community, and because of the camaraderie among members and his father’s prior leadership of the club. Please join Earl’s family in Celebrating His Life at 2 PM on Saturday, January 30, 2016 at the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory, 441 N. George St., Millersville, PA 17551. Friends will be received from 1-2 PM at the funeral home. Interment will be held at Drumore Cemetery following the service. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Elks Club Lodge # 134, 219 North Duke St., Lancaster, Pa, or to the charity of your choice. Comments are closed.
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