Obituary of Henry Dietrich Gerhold

Henry Dietrich Gerhold, 90, of State College, died Sunday, June 6, 2021, at home, in the loving care of his three children.

Born February 1, 1931, in Mahwah, NJ, he was the son of the late Heinrich and Luise Fischer Gerhold. On March 10, 1956 he married Marilyn Quigley, who preceded him in death on November 13, 2014.

He is survived by three children, Maureen Desorcie and her husband Jamie of State College, David Gerhold and his wife Yuan Liu of Landsdale, and Heidi Powell and her husband David of Media; and six grandchildren, David and Heather Desorcie, Helen Gerhold, and Michael, Nicole and Monica Powell.

Henry earned his B.S. and M.F. in Forestry from Penn State University in 1952 and 1954 respectively. He earned his PhD in Forestry from Yale University in 1959. As a Professor in Forest Genetics he served 51 years at Penn State University, earning the title Professor Emeritus.

Henry (also Hank or Slim, as he was fondly called by many) was well respected in his field of Forest Genetics, locally, nationally and internationally. His expertise has earned him many awards, and has also been generously shared through many publications, boards, and any friend or neighbor needing advice. His most widely used book is called Landscape Tree Factsheets.

Hank was a member and Elder of State College Presbyterian Church. He had many interests including gardening, hiking, exercising, sailing, bridge, skiing, and of course, Penn State football! He loved to travel, both professionally, and for pleasure with family and friends. He created many wonderful memories through these adventures.

Henry (Dad, Pop) cared well for his wife, children and grandchildren, and cherished all the time they spent together. He was a big supporter of his children's and grandchildren's education, which is a major part of his rich legacy. They will miss the twinkle in his blue eyes, gentle smile and punny sense of humor.

Visitation will be from 12:00-2:00 PM on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton St., State College, followed by a Memorial Service at the funeral home at 2:00 PM. He will be laid to rest beside his wife in a private service.

The family would like to strongly recommend that loved ones from out of town (or any others that wish) please join the service using the livestream link found below or select the "View Memorial Service" button from the navigation bar on the left side of his obituary page.  https://kochfuneralhome.com/220/Henry-Dietrich-Gerhold.html. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to:

Lifetime Wells International at 17B Mt. Pleasant Rd., Aston PA 19014, https://www.lifetimewellsinternational.org/;

The Arboretum at Penn State: Gerhold Wildflower Trail, The Pennsylvania State University, at 336 Forest Resources Building, University Park, PA 16802-3604, https://arboretum.psu.edu/about/contact/;

Lyra Society at 702 N. 3rd St. Suite 737, Philadelphia PA 19123, or https://lyrasociety.org/.

Arrangements are under the care of Koch Funeral Home, State College. Online condolences and signing of the guest book may be entered at www.kochfuneralhome.com or visit us on Facebook.