A dedicated father, grandfather, brother and uncle, Chick leaves behind family, loved ones and friends upon whose lives he made an indelible impact. A thoughtful, considerate and kind man, he always put others before himself, be that caring for his siblings when younger or doting on his grandson and great nieces and nephews. You could always count on Chick to be there in your time of need.
Born in Upper Darby on July 18, 1946, he attended Presentation BVM School and Haverford High School, Class of 1964. From 1967-69, he served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He worked as a sales manager at Jim Johnson’s Goodyear in Burlington (NJ) until 1985, and salesman at Reedman-Toll until his retirement in 2015.
When Chick was little, his mother used to call him “Little Boy Blue” because of his deep blue eyes. He loved fried chicken and apple pie.
His children fondly remember the holidays, when Chick would dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve, enter the house (as they watched from behind a cracked door), have a cookie and milk, leave a few gifts and then exit as quietly as he entered. His children always looked forward their summers as a family at the Jersey Shore camping, canoeing, and swimming. Chick loved boating, most notably the times he went fishing with his father down in Cape May or taking family and friends out on one of the many boats he owned over the years.
He was also a handyman who loved working on cars. If a problem was fixable with tools from the garage, the problem got fixed at home. He used his welding skills to make a baseball tee out of sheet metal and a radiator hose, and when the boys played ice hockey, he created a mini ice-rink in the backyard out of 2-by-4s and plastic sheeting. He even made his daughter a gymnastics beam and soccer wall in the backyard.
A true lefty, it was always a challenge to find a matching right-handed glove. It was a joke in the family that his daughter was the only one to tolerate sitting on his left at the dinner table.
He was also an avid hunter, more recently spending time in Maine with his friend Ray. He loved his dogs Sam and Frisky, who he’d take for long walks and watch chase squirrels, cats and birds in the backyard.
Chick will be missed dearly by those who knew and loved him. He was preceded in death by parents Charles A. and Alice (McCabe) Kieffer and his brother Jerry Kieffer.
He is survived by his children David Klem, Dustin Kieffer and Angela (Brian) Hickey; grandsons Louden Hickey and Avery Kieffer; sisters Pat Kuhn and Linda (Bill) Grill; niece Denise Grill; nephew Bill (Susan) Grill; great nephew Stephen (Morgan) Mack; great nieces Kaelen Grater, Kieren Grater, Everly Ann Grill and Julia Rae Grill; great nephew Will Samuel; cousin Debbie (Mac) McDonald; and former wife Darice (Jack) Richmond.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the National Kidney Foundation at kidney.org or by mail:
Attn: Gift processing at National Kidney Foundation HQ
30 East 33rd Street
New York, NY 10016
A memorial service for Charles will be held Tuesday, September 12, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at James J. Dougherty Funeral Home, 2200 Trenton Road, Levittown, Pennsylvania 19056. A funeral service will occur Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 12:00 PM, 2200 Trenton Road, Levittown, Pennsylvania 19056. A burial will occur Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 1:30 PM at Washington Crossing National Cemetery, 830 Highland Road, Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940.
