Vincent P. Herron, Jr., 84

November 15, 2017

Vincent P. Herron, Jr., 84, died unexpectedly at home, in his easy chair, on Wednesday, November 15, 2017, in Lancaster, PA. Vince was born at home to his parents Vincent Paul, Sr., and Frances (Reynolds) Herron, in Ashley, PA. He attended St. Leo’s Elementary School for first through fourth grade. Then his family moved to Wilkes-Barre, PA, where he attended St. Mary’s School for grades five through eight, then GAR High School, graduating in 1951. He was drafted in 1953, during the Korean War, and did his basic training at Camp Polk in Louisiana. Because of the Armistice, he was honorably discharged two months before shipping out from Fort Riley, Kansas in 1955. He had a profound respect for those who served in Korea, especially during the Korean winters. He attended Wilkes College 1955-1957, and Penn State University 1957-1959, graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He married Sally (Sarah Gribbon) of Youngstown, OH, on November 19, 1960.
Before being drafted, Vince worked several jobs. One of which he particularly liked was working at the Bundle of Joy Baby Wear Factory; he especially enjoyed saying the name. After receiving his engineering degree, he worked at Republic Steel, Kelly Springfield Tire Company, and then moved to Lancaster in 1966 to work for Armstrong World Industries, from which he retired in 1999. Vince often said that getting drafted was the best thing that ever happened to him, because among other things, it enabled him to use the GI Bill to go to college, something that he would have never considered doing otherwise. His engineer cousin, Bill Scanlon, suggested he try engineering, so he did and earned the certification of Professional Engineer.
As a project engineer for Armstrong, Vince traveled extensively and created a spreadsheet with all his travels. He calculated that he spent 5.01 years on the road. He took his children camping and boating to many wonderful locations, memories which his children cherish. After retirement, Vince met daily with his McDonald’s crew and monthly for breakfast and lunch with his retired Armstrong colleagues, social occasions which were very dear to him. He recently started visiting the Universal Gym to use the machines and attend the Silver Sneakers classes, which he loved. He carried the Silver Sneakers schedule in his front shirt pocket, which he referred to frequently, and where it was found the day he passed. Vince attended his GAR class luncheons in Wilkes-Barre, weather permitting. After the death of his wife, Sally, the arrival of triplet grandchildren brought him a new life, and an amazement of their disinclination to wear jackets in cold weather. He was huge fan of TV, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and loved watching war movies, documentaries, football, anything Tom Selleck, and he would say with a grin, the Hallmark Channel. Vince liked to arrive early to church, where he found the peace and quiet of the ‘House of God’ to be very comforting. He was also the first to leave to beat the traffic.
We thank his many friends for their friendships over the years. We would also like to thank each of his doctors for their attentive care in the recent years. A special thank you to the staff of Universal Gym and the Silver Sneakers instructors for their warm embrace and making him feel special.
Vince was predeceased by his wife, Sally, in 2005, and is survived by his children, Elizabeth, Vincent and wife Sara, Patrick and wife Tina, and grandchildren, Colin, Zoe, and Lilah, his sister Ruth wife of Gary Wodder, and brother Jerry, husband of Ann, and leaves behind many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Marie McCabe, Kathryn Toole, and brother Herbie.
Vince was a parishioner of St. Anne Catholic Church and St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Lancaster, PA. The first viewing will be held, Monday, November 20, 7:00-9:00pm, at Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA, 17543. The second viewing will be held, Tuesday, November 21, at 10:00am, followed by a funeral mass at 11:00am at Saint John Neumann Church, 601 East Delp Road, Lancaster, PA, 17601, 717-569-8531, followed by an interment at St. Joseph’s New Roman Catholic Cemetery, Lancaster, PA.