Ned K. Kulp

Ned K. Kulp of Chalfont, Pa., passed away peacefully on Sunday, Dec. 26, at Phoebe Richland in Richlandtown, Pa. He was 94. Born and raised in Lansdale, he was the youngest of three children to Floyd and Helen Knipe Kulp. He graduated from Lansdale High School in 1945 and served in the U.S. Merchant Marine from 1945 to 1947. He graduated from Trinity College (Hartford, Conn.) in 1951. Upon graduation, Ned attended officer training at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. He was commissioned as an officer and served on active duty in the Coast Guard during the Korean War. After leaving active duty, Ned continued to serve in the Coast Guard Reserve until his retirement in 1987. He attained the rank of Captain and was very proud of his service to his country. Ned married his college sweetheart, Suzanne Glazier, at the Church of the Redeemer in West Hartford, Conn., on Dec. 12, 1953, after her graduation from Wheaton College (Norton, Mass.). They moved to Harleysville, Pa., following their wedding. They later lived in Lansdale before moving to Chalfont in 1958. Suzanne preceded him in death in May 2014. Ned and Suzanne devoted their lives to raising their four children – sons Rod, Eric and Mark, and daughter Wendy. After his military service, Ned went to work for his family’s business, Perfect Foods Inc. of Lansdale, a baker and manufacturer of snack foods including the brands Ivins Spiced Wafers and Sweetzels Spiced Wafers. Ned served in various sales and marketing positions at the company, until its sale in the mid-1960s. Afterward, Ned continued in the snack food business as a manufacturer’s representative, running his business as Ned Kulp Co. & Associates. He represented a number of companies, most notably Keystone Food Products in Easton, Pa. Other clients included Interstate Bakeries and Entenmann’s. Ned also was active in the community, volunteering with organizations such as the Reserve Officers Association, the Boy Scouts, the Kulp-Kolb-Culp family reunion and Americans for Native Americans. He loved to travel and visited numerous countries in Europe, South America and Africa. An accomplished pianist, Ned loved music, particularly classical and jazz. He also enjoyed nature, the outdoors and especially animals. He was an avid gardener, who in his later years was especially proud of his tomato plants. Ned is survived by his four children and his four grandchildren Marshall, Steffen and Aleksia Kulp, and Taylor Kulp-McDowall. He was preceded in death by his older brothers George Austin Kulp of Lansdale and Dr. Henry W. Kulp of Morgantown, Pa. Interment will be private. To send condolences to the family, please visit the funeral home website listed below. Scanlin-McDonald Funeral Home, 175 East Butler Ave., Chalfont, PA, 215-822-0480.