Elayne E. (Oswald) Rickmers

Elayne died at Kutztown Manor on February 22, 2020 where she was treated with kindness, dignity, professionalism and loving care during her almost 5 years stay there.  She was born in a log house in Fleetwood – part of which was used to restore a log cabin at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kuztown University. Elayne was a daughter of Eva (Angstadt) Oswald and Robert Oswald. Born on 28 April 1924, she was the widow of Harold “Jim” Rickmers, a graduate of the Naval Academy at Annapolis and Muhlenberg College, and she lived in Kutztown since 1966. Mrs. Rickmers graduated from Kutztown High School in 1942 and worked for the Kutztown Patriot, owned then by Kutztown Publishing, as a proofreader.

She was a member of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kutztown and served as Church Council President. She volunteered for the Red Cross and the Kutztown Folk Festival for many years. Elayne also volunteered for other organizations such as: President of the Allentown Garden Club, President of Kutztown Women's Club, Secretary and Genealogist of the Angstadt Freundschaft, and was on the Board of  Kutzown YMCA (now Tri Valley) and the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center Management Team. Elayne was predeceased by her husband “Jim” her step-son Ricky, her sister Doris Oswald Stephens and brother Elton who died as an infant. She is survived by her good friends Lynn Brown wife of Gregory and Darlene Moyer, wife of Luther Moyer. Friends are welcome to gather and share memories of Elayne at Hildenbrand Funeral Home,  346 West Main Street, Kutztown on Saturday, February 29 at 10:00AM.

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