Obituary
Ebensburg, PA - Francis Joseph "Rip" Reidelbach lll passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 7th, 2026. He was 81 years old.
Preceded in death by loving wife Sonia (Dickson); parents Colonel Francis Joseph Reidelbach Jr. and Rose (Thomas) Reidelbach; sister, Dorothy Reidelbach; and brothers Patrick and Thomas Reidelbach.
Survived by daughter Erika (Rich) Hough and grandson Ian Francis Hough of Ebensburg; sister Maria Reidelbach of Rosendale, NY; sister-in-law Peg Woodburn and special great-niece Stella Bean LaRock with whom he shared one of his last smiles, both of Wisconsin, and of course his beloved Blackie the turtle.
Rip had a magical childhood with his four siblings, a journey that carried him from Richmond Virginia to Germany and the shores of Northern California among many other places. He moved to Ebensburg in his junior year of high school. There he met his wife of 57 years, his Sonie. He was truly well rounded; a jack of all trades. He built a house from the ground up without a blueprint. He was a history and literature buff who taught History and English at Bishop Carroll High School for several years in the late 1970s, before leaving to go underground for a coal mining job at Bethlehem for 10 years. He earned a Masters in Labor Relations at St. Francis while working full time on swing shift in the mines. This helped spark his passion for unions, and he fought for the rights of the working class up until the end, attending rallies as recently as April of 2025. He sat on several local political and mine related boards and committees, and also volunteered at the Cambria County Historical Society, Potato Fest, Wheels And Wings, and Art in Bloom. He enjoyed playing trivia every week with "the gang." Finally, his love for cars rivaled any other of his pastimes. From racing them to building and restoring them, he was a connoisseur of automobiles, and more recently, vintage travel trailers.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Cambria County Historical Society or Library.
At the request of his family and in keeping with Rip's wishes, there will be no viewing or services. A celebration of life will be held in late May.
Please visit www.online-tribute/Rip to share a memory.
Gallery - please post photos of Rip if you have them!
Memory wall
I will miss you and our entire family will miss you. Your were the patriarch and leader of the Thomas family, far and wide. You provided leadership and guidance to the family with your wonderful values and compassion. I am proud of your union and political activities and beliefs.. Your and Sonya's love for each other was an inspiration.
Also I wish I had a scintilla of your skills and technical capabilities. And I treasured your dry sense of humor.
I am happy that you are with Sonya again, as I know you missed her terribly.
You have all of my respect and love.
Even after retirement we stayed fast friends and Sonia quickly became a friend too. What really cemented our friendship until his death was our great trivia team, Rapid Response. We cherish our time times together, win or lose, and our group of like minded snarky friends. We have missed him so much this past year.
Rip, you are now with Sony and my condolences to Erika and family.
Jennifer Bentley
I wish we had more time to spend with you. But I know you and Greatie are finally reunited. When I think of all the memories I have with you, I will always be led to the first summer I remember in Pennsylvania, I was 6. We would go down this little path and pick fruits for Blackie. I will always hold those memories dear to my heart, love you.
Xoxoxo
Everything is surreal right now but I believe you are at peace and lived your best life until the very end. I am honored to be your daughter and love you so very much. Thank you for recognizing my capability and pushing me toward success. It couldn't have been easy those first several years of my adulthood ;)
Favorites
Donate
Français
Deutsch
Nederlands
Español
Português
Magyar
Русский
繁體中文