Richard Kepler Brunner, 92, of Emmaus, died Dec. 1, 2018. He was the husband of Betty Louise (Folk) Brunner. They celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary in November. Born in Harrisburg, he was the son of Franklin Umstead Brunner and Mary Elizabeth (Kepler) Brunner.

He was a novelist, essayist, reporter, radio news/sports announcer, college administrator, teacher, newspaper columnist and editor.

In his senior year at Muhlenberg High School, he enlisted in the Navy on D-Day. After his service with the 85th Naval Construction Battalion in the South Pacific, he attended night classes at Columbia University, while working a day job in the mailroom of the American Broadcasting Co. His radio scriptwriting classes in the NBC studios prepared him for a short career in network and syndicated programs. In 1948-49, “Your Radio Hymnal,” his weekly program, was syndicated to stations across the nation. He was news director at WRAW, an NBC affiliate in Reading, from 1949 to 1955. His novel, “Portrait of the Damned,” written under the name Richard McKaye, was published in 1954. The Signet edition, issued by the New American Library of World Literature, sold 137,000 copies. From 1958 to 1964, he was an Assistant Director of the Commission of Press, Radio and Television for the Lutheran Church in America, in New York City. His selection of “Great Sermons of the 20th Century” was published in Pageant Magazine. In 1964 he began working in administrative/teaching positions at Muhlenberg, Moravian, Cedar Crest and Wilson colleges. In the interim between college employment, he was twice hired by the Call-Chronicle Newspapers; first, in 1970, as an editorial writer/editor for The Morning Call, Evening Chronicle and Sunday Call-Chronicle. He returned in 1981 and retired as editorial page editor of The Morning Call in 1989. For more than a half century his newspaper and magazine articles on medicine, education, religion, book reviews and world events appeared in American and British publications. Distributed by Metropolitan Sunday Newspapers, The Christian Science Monitor News Service and Newspaper Enterprise Association, they ran in many national newspapers.

He is survived by his wife; daughters, Susan Elizabeth and her husband Robert “Skip” Phillips, of Upper Macungie; Jennifer (“Jenny”) Ann, wife of Wayne Kuhns, of Schnecksville; grandchildren, Adrienne Ann Kuhns, Leslie Ann Phillips, Andrew John Phillips and great-grandchildren Tyler and Alexis Ann.

Contributions may be made to the Emmaus Public Library, 11 E. Main St., Emmaus, 18049.

A funeral service will be 11 a.m. Dec. 5 at the Bachman, Kulik & Reinsmith Funeral Home, 225 Elm St., Emmaus. The family will receive friends 9:30 a.m. until the time of the service.