Dr. Henry C. Stouffer, Jr., 97

September 4, 1925 - August 01, 2023

Dr. Henry C. Stouffer, Jr., 97, passed away peacefully Tuesday, August 1st, at Masonic Village in Elizabethtown. Born September 4th, 1925, in Lancaster, Pa., he was the son of the late Henry C. Stouffer and Margaret (Gerhart) Stouffer. He was predeceased by his beloved wife Virginia of 67 years.

He is survived by his loving son David D. Stouffer (Jan), and his loving daughter Lynne S. Ehrman (Skip). Henry was PopPop to his 3 grandsons, Geoffrey B. Ehrman (Dana Mead), Matthew C. Ehrman (Jenny), Andrew D. Ehrman (Magda), and great granddaughter Amelia Rey Ehrman.

Henry graduated from Manheim Township High School in 1942, then Franklin & Marshall College in 1947. He received his DDS degree from Temple University Dental School in 1948. He opened his dental practice in July, 1948 at 134 East Walnut St in Lancaster.

Henry served in two branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. During WWII he was in the U.S. Army Specialized training unit. In 1951, during the Korean War, Henry volunteered and served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed at Randall Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, where he was a dentist for the Air Force Hospital and School of Aviation Medicine.

Post discharge in 1953 he reopened his dental practice in Lancaster where he practiced dentistry for 36 years. Henry served 25 years as the school dentist for Lampeter Strasburg school district, treating children in need. In addition, he provided dental services for St. Joseph Hospital in Lancaster. He was active with the American Dental Association in Pennsylvania and served as their president.

One of Henry’s passions was bridge. Playing in many tournaments throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda, he achieved the rank of Silver Life Master of the American Contract Bridge League. Together with his partner, Jim Eshelman, he won the Pennsylvania State Open Championship. One of his many fond memories playing bridge was when President Dwight D. Eisenhower asked him if he could kibitz his bridge play, and Henry penned a story about this moment which was published in the Lancaster New Era.

Another favorite past time of Henry’s was coin collecting. He served many years as president of Red Rose Coin Club and Cloister Coin Club of Ephrata, and he gave many educational programs to children as well as seniors. His love of history and research led him to write many articles for coin journals, historical societies, and the newspaper. As in all aspects of his life he strove for excellence and received the James Wagner Award as “outstanding numismatist” of central Pennsylvania. Upon retirement from his dental practice, he helped to found D.D.S. Numismatics, Inc., with his son David.

Henry was proud to have been the longest living member of First Presbyterian Church in Lancaster. He served multiple terms as president of Donegal Presbytery Council of Presbyterian men and taught Sunday School to high school seniors for many years.

Henry was a life-long sports enthusiast. He played tennis, golf, and softball in his younger years, and he enthusiastically followed his favorite sports teams, Penn State, the Eagles, and the Phillies. He and his wife Ginny loved to travel which provided him with many entertaining stories he loved to share. At the age of 91 Henry began to write poetry and shared his writings with many. After moving to Masonic Village in Elizabethtown, he entertained residents with lively stories and his poetry. He was fondly nicknamed their poet laureate.

Henry was an amazing Renaissance man with multiple talents and will always be remembered for his zest for life, his keen memory skills and storytelling, and above all, his love of family and friends.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 2nd, at the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA 17543. The family will welcome guests at 10:00 a.m., with the service following at 11:00. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 140 E. Orange Street, Lancaster, PA 17602, or Masonic Village Hospice, 98 Masonic Dr Suite 101, Elizabethtown, PA 17022.

For those unable to attend, the service will be live streamed here on Saturday, September 2.