Richard Light

Richard Light

Richard Light, 82, of Tamaqua, died on Saturday, August 9, 2025, in Hometown. He was the husband of the late Janice (Krell) Light to whom he had been married for 21 years at the time of her death in 1993.

Born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, Richard was the son of the late Edward and Elizabeth (Tonkin) Light.

A 1960 graduate of Tamaqua High School, he was a 1962 graduate of McCann School of Business and earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from Maywood College.

Richard was employed for many years as an accountant at Fanelli Trucking in Pottsville.

He loved his dogs and enjoyed adopting them from the Hillside SPCA to give them a better life. Richard began playing organ in junior high school and it became a life-long love; the topic of organs and playing organ at church often came up in conversations. He was the organist for several area churches, including St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, Tamaqua from 1979-2013, St. Paul United Church of Christ, Mahanoy City for fifteen years, St. John Slovak Lutheran Church, Lansford for six years, and Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Tamaqua for ten months. He was of the Lutheran faith.

Richard is survived by two nieces, Cheryl Nemeth and her husband Paul of Tamaqua and Crystal Kachelries of Ohio; two grand nephews, The Reverend Joshua Nemeth and his wife Francesca and Jack Nemeth; a great-grand nephew, Levi Nemeth; and a great-grand niece, Adeline Nemeth.

Richard was predeceased by his wife Janice who was the love of his life and a sister, Joy Ann Kachelries.

Services will be held at 11 AM on Friday, August 15, 2025, at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, 200 Mauch Chunk Street, Tamaqua with The Rev. Dillon Epler officiating. Interment at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Tamaqua will follow the services. Call from 9-11 AM on Friday at the church. Memorial donations in Richard's name may be made to Hillside SPCA, 51 SPCA Road, PO Box 233, Pottsville, PA 17901 or to the church. Online condolences may be made at www.zgfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are being handled by the Zizelmann-Gulla Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc., Tamaqua.