Obituary of Cecil Johnson Irvin

Cecil Johnson Irvin, Jr., 88, of State College, died Thursday, December 15, 2016, at Mount Nittany Medical Center, State College. Born February 3, 1928, on West Fairmount Avenue in State College, he was the son of the late Cecil Johnson and Edna Dreibelbis Irvin, Sr. On September 7, 1963, he married June Wallace Girdwood, who survives. Also surviving are three children – Ronald Allen Irvin and his wife, Caitlin, of Alexandria, VA; Todd Martin Irvin and his wife, Toni; Tammy Diane Irvin and her long-time companion, Ed Stephens, all of State College; and five grandchildren – Tyler, Emily, Mikayla, Moira and Natalie. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by two brothers, Martin and Knox Irvin and a sister, Martha Heck. He was a 1946 graduate of State College High School and a District Wrestling Champion at 154 pounds. Cecil received a Bachelor's degree in Agronomy from Penn State University in 1950. He was a two-year wrestling Letterman while attending Penn State. After graduating from college, Cecil and his father started a grain and seed business in Ferguson Township which continues to this day. He was a lifelong member of Faith United Church of Christ and a member of the Penn State Alumni Association. During his children's youth, he also served as a baseball coach and President of the State College Teener Baseball League. Family, farming and agricultural land preservation were very important to Cecil. He served on the Ferguson Township Planning Commission, the Board of Supervisors, and various other township and county committees for 26 years. During his years in local government, he was instrumental in establishing the Township Rural Agricultural Zone in an effort to protect local farms from development, and later enrolled his own farms in the State Agricultural Land Preservation Program, perpetually preserving them from development. He also later served on the Agricultural Land Preservation Board until his retirement. In recognition of his many years of service in local government, he was honored with the naming of the Cecil Irvin Park, nicknamed by his grandchildren as "Papa's Park." In his retirement, Cecil's favorite pastimes included helping on the farm, watching all types of sports on TV, and attending Penn State wrestling matches. He was greatly loved and will be deeply missed by his entire family. Visitation will be 2 until 4 p.m., on Sunday, December 18, 2016 at Koch Funeral Home, 2401 S. Atherton Street, State College. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m., on Monday, December 19, 2016 at Faith United Church of Christ, 300 East College Avenue, State College, with the Reverend Ann Graves officiating. Burial will be at the convenience of the family, in Pine Hall Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Faith United Church of Christ, 300 East College Avenue, State College, PA 16801. 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.