Byron N. Lape

Byron N. Lape, 75, regretfully passed away on October 22,2014 at his home in Leesport PA.

Born in Reading, he was the son of Harold "Jack" and Margaret "Peg" (Stump) Lape.

He was a 1957 graduate of Conrad Weiser High School.

Byron served in the US Air Force from 1957 ­to 1961. Upon return to the area he worked as an airplane mechanic for Pan­Am in New York. He moved back to Reading in 1965 where he met and married his beautiful wife of 42 years, Eileen (Ernst) Lape, whom preceded him in death in 2013.

Byron worked for Carpenter Steel until he retired in 1999.

He was an avid cyclist and skier belonging to both the Berks County Bicycle Club and the Senior Sliders ski club. He also greatly enjoyed flying remote controlled airplanes with his friends in the Barnstormer club. Byron truly enjoyed the company of his neighbors, friends, and family. He was a loyal and loving husband to his wife and took care of her until their final goodbye. Byron was an exceptional grandfather . He went to sports games and school performances and was always there to cheer on his grandkids. He was their biggest fan.

Byron is survived by a daughter, Leanna Kathleen, wife of Joe Stoudt, Leesport, and a son, Robert Byron Lape, husband of Theresa, Kenhorst. Also surviving are a brother, William "Bill" Lape, husband of Nancy, Lincoln Park; two sisters, Beverly, wife of Charlie Slye, Ephrata, and Betsy, wife Ken Saul, Wernersville; and several nieces, nephews, and extended family. He will be extremely missed by his granddaughter, Jenna and two grandsons Colin and Key.

"Iron" Byron Lape was a special kind of man. Calm, kind, polite, hard­working, patient, and loving are all words that completely describe him. But there was something special about Byron. Classic, he was a timeless gentleman, a true man. He loved his wife, family, friends, and his country. The world lost an old­ fashioned good man when it lost Byron N. Lape. Rest in peace poppop.

Services will be Monday at 2 p.m. in Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, Inc., 739 Penn Ave., West Reading. A viewing will be held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the funeral home. Burial will be in Pleasant View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to either Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, The Duke Ellington Building, 2121 Ward Ct, NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20037 or to Bern Evangelical Lutheran Church, 820 W Leesport Rd, Leesport, PA 19533. Online condolences may be recorded at www.kuhnfuneralhome.com.