Lamar L. Light

Lamar L. Light, 88, formerly of Mechanicsburg, Pa, passed away on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, with his family by his side. He was the son of the late Stanley and Mabel (Miller) Light, born on July 12, 1934 in Palmyra.

He was a 1952 graduate of Palmyra High School and earned his undergraduate degree from Allegheny College in 1958. He was a lineman in football, playing both in high school and college, and he would go on to serve his country in the U.S. Marine Corps; achieving the rank of Captain, he received a letter of commendation for building a Buddy Catapult System for the military and helping to build the runway project at Vieques Airport, PR. He would become a highly respected figure in the local business community, starting out with Furnival Machinery and State Equipment Company before joining L.B. Smith, Inc., where he would become the President and COO of the company. He took pride in all he did throughout his 30+ years with the firm. He transitioned in 2001, becoming Vice Chairman and part owner of Groff Tractor and Equipment, Mechanicsburg. He was Chairman of the Board from 2006 until his official retirement in 2012. Throughout the years, he would also serve on the board of directors for AED along with Dealer Council Boards for Terex, Volvo and Hitachi.

He was a true professional in all he did, and he was someone who constantly thought of others. He and his wife, Janice, were an inseparable couple, supporting one another throughout the years while raising three girls. He was a golf enthusiast, spending 30+ years as a member of the Country Club of Harrisburg, and another 25+ with the West Shore Country Club. And because of the nature of his business dealings, he and his wife would travel the world visiting Korea, Belgium, and golfing everywhere from famous courses in Scotland to many of the top courses in the USA. Lamar and family were longtime members of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Camp Hill, and he was a 32nd Degree Mason with the Valley of Harrisburg A.A.S.R. He loved nothing more than being with his family, and he would generously plan family vacations to various destinations over the years, with Stone Harbor, The Greenbrier, Hawaii and Disney World highlighting the list.

Once he entered the workforce, Lamar set off on a 60+ year career in the construction equipment industry, grooming countless employees throughout the industry he loved. He loved teaching the “art” of selling to his salesmen and always made sure they carried around their “shut up” card in their coat pocket. Throughout the years from being a top salesman to an executive, he always managed to make time for his family and the things that mattered most. He was a very down to earth person and the epitome of an honest and moral human, and he made it a point to be home with his family at dinnertime. He would tell you that the driving force behind his professional career, and success, was his devoted and supportive wife. And when grandchildren and great grandchildren came along, they quickly became his greatest source of joy.

Surviving Lamar is his wife of 64 years, Janice (Shirk) Light; daughters, Anne-Marie Mettus (Richard) of Feasterville, Elaine Price (James) of Mechanicsburg, and Patti Jean Savastio (Michael) of Mechanicsburg; grandchildren, Megan Friedman (Matthew), Matthew Price, Carinne Mettus, Jonathan Mettus, Ellen Kremer (Kevin), and Thomas Savastio; great-grandchildren, Kellen and Owen; a sister, Shirley Kerr; and several nieces and nephews.

A public funeral will be held at 2PM on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Camp Hill, with a viewing hour from 1PM until services begin in the church. Burial will immediately follow in Rolling Green Cemetery, Camp Hill.

Please consider making a contribution in Lamar’s name to Homeland Hospice at www.homelandathome.org/donate, or by mail to: Homeland Hospice, Attn: Myra Badorf, Asst. Director of Development, 2300 Vartan Way, Suite 270, Harrisburg, PA 17110.