It is with great sadness and regret we report the passing of
Firefighter James "Corky" Lerch Jr.
Corky lost a battle with cancer only after a few short months surrounded by his family and friends. Jim served as a volunteer firefighter with the Neversink Fire Company in Reading before being hired in June of 2001. After completing fire training he was assigned to the D platoon as a jumper. In February of 2002, FF Lerch was assigned to Engine 5. Jim would move to the A platoon in May 2010, when he took an assignment on Engine 1. In December of 2015, Jim transferred to the B platoon on Engine 3. In 2018, after working a few years on the B platoon, Lerch switched to the C platoon on the engine.
Service arrangments are as follows:
Monday, November 2nd, 1300 hours
Fire Department procession moving FF Lerch from Reading Hospital "G" building to the Edward Kuhn Funeral Home in West Reading. The procession will move at 13:00 hours and is slated to travel north on 5th Avenue to the traffic circle and then west on Reading Avenue to 8th Avenue and then south to the funeral home. Any other agencies requesting to stage along the route to pay their respects should contact Deputy Chief Ronald Banks for further information (610-655-5589). FF Lerch will be taken into the funeral home with full honors before a private service will be held for family members.
Saturday, November 7th, 1900 hours
A celebration of life service will be held at the Kuhn Funeral Home in West Reading. Calling hours will be from 1600 to 1900 before the service officially begins at 1900.
Kuhn Funeral Home - 739 Penn Avenue, West Reading
Please keep the Lerch Family in your thoughts and prayers. A fundraising page for the family has been started at the following page.
https://www.facebook.com/donate/1662454773935448/
© 2022 ReadingPaFire.com