Herbert G. Koehler Jr.

1925 - 2020

Herbert G. Koehler Jr., 94, of Mt. Pleasant, passed peacefully, at Barnes Place, Latrobe, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, surrounded by his family. He was born Dec. 11, 1925, in Etna, Pa., the son of the late Herbert G. Koehler Sr., and Ida (Busch) Koehler. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Phyllis E. (Sutherland) Koehler; a son, Kevin H. Koehler; and a sister, Edith Heffler. Herbert is survived by his brother, Robert L. Koehler and his wife, Jean; four children, Maura Keeney and her husband, Daniel L. Keeney, Michael F. Koehler and his wife, Annette Koehler, David G. Koehler, and Brian J. Koehler and his wife, Marsha Koehler; and a daughter-in-law, Aleta "Cindy" Koehler. He was blessed with five grandchildren, Jennifer L. Parsons, Sean Koehler, Michael Koehler and his wife, Janine Koehler, Matthew Koehler and his partner, Kat Williams, and Caitlin C. Santone and her husband, Joseph Politz. He was further blessed with three great-grandchildren, Elliana Koehler, Oliver Koehler and Adrian Keeney Politz. Herbert, nicknamed "Hoby," was a Navy veteran and earned an associate degree in the field of electronics through a mail order course. He also earned a FCC license in his earlier years. Over his lifetime, he was employed at Foxboro Instrumentation, the Bureau of Mines, Koehler Hardware (owned by his father), Union Switch and Signal, and Latrobe Steel Co. He retired from Stewart's Speedometer in Youngwood, and spent his retirement years travelling across the country with his wife, Phyllis, a well-known watercolorist, selling her work in art festivals. Hoby became proficient in the art of mat cutting and framed all of Phyllis' paintings. These retirement years were some of their best times spent together on the open road, and he would refer to them as new adventures. Hoby's interests included vegetable gardening, as well as flower gardening. He propagated roses and various shrubs and enjoyed giving those home-grown shrubs away. He was a jack-of-all trades, doing all household repairs well into his nineties. He could fix or repair anything and his children found some of his fixes very inventive. He encouraged his family to have a routine in life of work, creativity, exercise and basically a healthy lifestyle. He stressed that if you didn't write down your goals and keep a list of both short- and long-term goals, you wouldn't be very successful or at least efficient. Hoby will be missed by his family. The family would like to express their sincere appreciation for Excela Health Hospice and the staff at Barnes Place. Also, thank you to the friends that Hoby made at Barnes Place during the short time he was there, most especially to his friend "Al." Lastly, a very special thanks to Karen Wiltrout for the above and beyond care and companionship that she provided to our father in the past three years. There will be no public visitations and no funeral Mass at this time. Interment at St. Pius X Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant will be private. Arrangements are being handled by the JOHN J. LOPATICH FUNERAL HOME INC., 601 Weldon St., Latrobe. Memorial contributions may be made to the Greensburg Art Center, 230 Todd School Road, Greensburg, PA 15601. To sign the online guest book, send condolences, or share a story, please visit www.lopatich.com.