Georgette Koehler, center front, with her husband, Frank Koehler, front right, accepting the 2019 Lansdale Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
The matriarch of a 96-year-old Lansdale business passed away Sunday at the age of 90.
Local icon Georgette Koehler, the 2019 Lansdale Lifetime Achievement Award winner, was the wife of the late Franklynn C. Koehler Jr., who died in March 2022.
Together, the Koehlers ran Koehler’s Jewelers at Main and Broad streets in Lansdale.
Koehler is survived by her children Lisa A. Koehler and her husband Robert Shettsline, of Lansdale, and Jonathan Koehler and his wife Jean, of Littleton, Co., grandchildren John and Kyle Koehler and Brandon Shettsline, and sister Grace Schultz of Tylersport, according to her obituary.
Koehler was a member of Trinity United Church of Christ in Telford and founder of the Gaudy Dutch Questers. She was a fan of the Delaware Valley Region Antique Automobile Club of America and a big supporter of the Boys and Girls Club of Lansdale at 16 Susquehanna Avenue in Lansdale.
Koehler’s funeral service is at 11 a.m. Friday at Huff & Lakjer Funeral Home in Lansdale. The family will receive friends starting at 10 a.m.
Lansdale Borough expressed its condolences on its Facebook page on Thursday.
“Lansdale Borough staff and elected officials extend our sympathies for the passing of Georgette Koehler, long-time borough business owner. Along with her husband, Georgette opened and ran Koehler’s Jewelers, a company with an enviable reputation for quality surpassed only by the knowledge and enthusiasm of its owners. Georgette was involved in many community organizations and her dedication to Lansdale was commemorated as co-recipient of the 2019 Lansdale Lifetime Achievement Award. Our thoughts go out to the entire Koehler family in this time of mourning.”
Frank Koehler Sr. first opened his jewelry store in 1927 and has remained in Lansdale ever since.
The highly popular and trusted business has spanned three generations.
“From the start, grandparents, parents, and now their children come to visit Koehler’s for all treasured milestone events,” states its website. “It could be our stunning interior, our gorgeous collections or our affordable prices, but what really sets us apart is our customer service and outstanding sales team. We know jewelry shopping can be intimidating, which is why we hark to provide a friendly, no-pressure approach that makes the purchasing process a pleasure.”
People cared to share their memories and condolences to the family on the Lansdalepa Facebook and elsewhere on social media.
“My condolences to the whole family. She was a wonderful lady, and always had a story to tell,” wrote Steve Daubney.
“Sincere condolences to the entire family. She was an icon,” wrote Connie Barnes.
Deb Walsh recognized the longtime history of the business and how it grew with the ever-changing Lansdale Borough.
“When my Nana died, we found a box in her stuff — a cameo locket with the box dated 1927 from Koehler’s,” Walsh wrote. “It’s amazing when you think we have businesses in Lansdale who are intertwined with generations of family history.”
