Roger Anthony Kuhl

Roger Anthony Kuhl, 85, of Aiken, SC peacefully passed away on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 at home and in the presence of his wife and son. A memorial service is planned to be held later in the spring in Croghan, NY, details will follow. The family suggests memorials be sent to one’s favorite charity.

Born in the small mill town of Croghan, NY, he was a son of the late Earl Francis and Lydia Marie Fanelli Kuhl. His fondest childhood memories were of the river, rocks, and woods where he played. He attended Beaver River Central, a small area High School in Beaver Falls, NY, where he played both offense and defense on their six-man football team. By the age of 20 he had moved to Syracuse, NY, and began a family and a career as a professional truck driver. He drove everything from panel vans to tractor-trailers, and early in his career he became a member of Texaco’s Million Mile Club, which honors drivers who have driven a million or more miles accident free. Roger continued this exemplary safety record throughout his driving career.

Roger was blessed with artistic creativity - he was a self-taught musician and pianist and could play the piano “by ear”, leaving his family many wonderful memories of him performing for them. Roger also became a self-taught writer. All of his adult life he dabbled in writing humorous poetry, for his own amusement and to the delight of his children. At the age of 70 years old he got the urge to write fictional short stories, of which he wrote several. His pen name was Alton Studebaker, and he wrote and published numerous short stories and poems. One of his first stories was also his favorite -“Cries of the Mountain”. He subsequently wrote a sequel, called “Coming Home” and he completed a trilogy of the story line when he produced “When the Leaves are Yellow.” Ultimately, a compilation of his short stories was published in the book “A Collection”.    Roger’s numerous poetry and fictional short stories were humorous, fun, and interesting, and enjoyed by all who had the fortune to read his works.

Roger immensely enjoyed every opportunity to gather with his immediate and extended family, fondly referred to as “The Cousins”. Many Fanelli family reunions were held throughout the years at various locations, and Roger attended as many as he was able. He loved the banter and the swapping of stories from the past. Roger was an excellent storyteller with an amazing memory for details – people, places, times, and events, and through this gift he shared the oral history and humorous anecdotes of the family. He loved his family dearly.

Roger was renowned for his ingenuity and was commonly referred to as “Mr. Fixit” – if something broke, he would put his mind to it, and using items he had available he would fix or build whatever was needed. Roger would always joke that he was a modern-day Rube Goldberg, and that one day he would write a book that detailed his creations and inventions. Roger obtained a lot of enjoyment by talking on Citizen Band radio. CB radio “took off” in popular culture in the 1970s, but Roger was an early adopter, since this tool was integral to his vocation as a truck driver. He loved talking on and tinkering with CB radio equipment, and he really enjoyed participating in the wide variety of social and charitable events that the CBers held. 10-99 Roger.

Roger and Joyce, his loving wife of 30 years, met and previously lived in Florida, before moving to South Carolina to be near family. They have resided in Aiken for the past 21 years. Survivors include his wife Joyce Arlene Harrell Kuhl; six children: Riva Marie “Christopher” Kuhl of Batavia, IL; Peter (Lesley) Kuhl of Palm Harbor, FL; Jeff Eric (Camela) Kuhl of Gainesville, FL; Stephen (Clarissa) Kuhl of Aiken, SC; Maia Jane Kuhl (Mike Geiger) of Northampton, PA; and Roger Anthony Kuhl II of Alburtis, PA. Four grandchildren: Rachel Kuhl (Marty Weiss) of Sunrise FL; , Sarah Kuhl (Eddie Turner) of Asheville, NC; Chelsea Heckman (Anthony) of Whitehall, PA, and Austin Kuhl of Aiken, SC. Two great-grandchildren: Emily Kuhl-Anderson and Sadie Jane Heckman. Three brothers: George Henry (Shirley) Kuhl of Cleveland, TN; Wendell James (Linda) Kuhl of Croghan, NY; and Paul John (Joellen) Kuhl of Rochester, NY.

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