Harrison F. Balthaser

Harrison F. Balthaser, 87, of Honesdale, died Wednesday afternoon at Wayne Woodlands Manor. His beloved wife, the former Theresa Dean, preceded him in death on Sept. 7, 2010. They were married on July 24, 1965.

Born Sept. 19, 1936, in Reading, he was the son of the late Wayne and Vivian (Kerschner) Balthaser. Harrison graduated from Hamburg High School in 1954 and while in high school was a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard. After graduation he enlisted in the United States Navy and was stationed at ANP School in Norman, Okla., and Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Fla. He later served on the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt until his honorable discharge in 1958. Upon discharge, he worked for the Balthaser Furniture Store and Hahn Fire Engine Co., both in Hamburg, and later the Karl Diener Farm in West Hamburg.

In 1960, he entered the Pa. State Police Academy, Hershey, and was a member of the first class to graduate at that location. Harrison was a member of the Pa. State Police Rodeo Detail in which he rode horses and motorcycles. He was later assigned to PSP stations in Blakely, Daleville, New Milford and Honesdale. During his career, he served in both the criminal and patrol units. In January of 1992, he retired after serving 31 years.

Hap was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, Honesdale Lodge #218 F&AM, the Irem Shrine in Dallas, Pa., and the Honesdale Eagles. As a member of Irem Shrine, he transported children to Shriners hospitals in Philadelphia and Boston. He was a past president of the Wayne-Pike Shrine. Hap formerly served as a volunteer on Honesdale Borough Parks and Recreation Committee and was instrumental in building the swimming pool on Fair Avenue. He also served on the Honesdale Borough Civil Service Commission. Hap was an active blood donor to the American Red Cross and donated more than 25 gallons of blood in his lifetime.

He was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Honesdale. He was always proud of his Pennsylvania German ancestry and Mennonite background.

Hap is survived by two sons, Harrison D. Balthaser and his wife, Melody, of Tyler Hill; and Brian Balthaser and his partner, Dennis St. Germain, of New Jersey; two granddaughters, Eve Balthaser and her fiancé, Geoff Briscoe; and Celia Markley and her husband, Joseph; a grandson, Harrison Lars Balthaser and his fiancée, Carine DeSouza; great-granddaughters, Beulah, Gomer and Jemima; and great-grandson, Efrayim; sisters, Betty Kaufman, of Oley, Pa.; Carol Almond, of Boyertown, Pa.; Kathryn Dugan, Reading, Pa.; Connie and William Searle, of Felton, Pa.; a brother, Curtis Balthaser, of Shoemakersville, Pa.

Funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. in the chapel at Ladore Lodge and Conference Center, 398 South St., Waymart, PA 18472. Services will begin with a Masonic funeral service at 4 p.m., immediately followed by the funeral with Pastor Karl Glick officiating.

Friends and family may visit Sunday from 3 to 4 p.m. in the chapel at Ladore Lodge.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Harrison's memory to the Shriners Hospital Corporate Headquarters, 2900 N. Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607.

Interment will be private in St. John the Evangelist Cemetery, Honesdale.

Arrangements are entrusted to Howell Family Funeral Home Inc., Edward R. Howell, funeral director, 269 Belmont St., Waymart, PA 18472.