Gerald Stanley Kleppinger
- Jun 2
- 2 min read
With both sorrow and joy, we announce the passing of Gerald S. Kleppinger from this life to his heavenly home with his Lord Jesus Christ on May 13, 2026. He was blessed to have lived just over 100 years on this earth. He was born and raised in Allentown, PA. When he turned 18, he enlisted in the Navy during WWII. He served on the USS Chicago from July 1944 to May 1946.
After the war, he went to college, receiving a B.A. from the School of Religion at Bob Jones University. After college, he worked for one year in Christian radio in Boone, IA, before moving to Seattle, WA, to work at King’s Garden (now CRISTA Ministries), at their radio station, KGDN.
Shortly after this, he was married in 1957 to Dorothy Niswonger from Leoti, KS, whom he had met at BJU. They were married just shy of 66 years when Dorothy passed away in 2023. Their three children were born in Seattle. In 1973, the family moved to Pence, KS, where Gerry pastored a rural church for 8 years. At this point, they moved to Scott City, where he became a part-owner in a Christian bookstore for 10 years.
In 1996, they moved to Spokane, WA, to be near their daughter and grandchildren. They lived out their retirement serving in the churches they were part of and spending time with family. Gerry loved playing the piano and even played for his church up to the day before his 100th birthday. He also played the trumpet and accordion. He participated in AWANA, listening to kids say their Bible verses. He and Dorothy led the Senior group at Lidgerwood Evangelical Church, where he always had jokes to tell. Gerry was a quiet man, but was loyal to his family and was a man of God devoted to ministry to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is survived by his children, David Kleppinger of Dallas, TX, Donald (and Gina) Kleppinger of Parker, CO, and Linda (and Mickey) Mason of Spokane, WA, 10 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dorothy (Niswonger) Kleppinger; parents, Stanley and Lucy Kleppinger; sister, Lucille Essig; and several great-grandchildren. His funeral service will be held on June 8 at First Church, 1725 W. Courtland, at 10:00 am.
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