Randall Mark Klemptner

Randy Klemptner, aka “Daddyman,” slipped the surely bonds of earth to dance the skies on laughter-silvered wings on Saturday, December 27th, his body no longer in pain and struggling to breathe.

He was born on April 1, 1958, and could not have had a more appropriate birthday. He would pause anytime someone asked his birthday, which was often lately as we navigated the health system, and would wait to see if they realized it was April Fools' Day. When the kids reached the age that they too realized the significance, they enjoyed wrapping the required empty box, with much glee, when he opened it to find it empty as a joke.

He had many talents and passions, but first and foremost was being a dad. Together with his wife, Lee Klemptner, they raised three amazing kids. Jeremy Klemptner, wife Amandalyn; Jennifer Klemptner; and Jacob “Andy” Klemptner, fiancé Kylee Sexton. He was proud to include Amandalyn and Kylee as additions to the family. He is also survived by his sister Lori Jo Klemptner, husband Jim Hodge, and sister Robin Roth, along with nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is predeceased by his parents, Dr. H. Edward and Dorothy Klemptner, and brother Scott Klemptner.

Much of his life almost didn’t happen, but remained progressively altered due to a head-on collision with a drunk driver on Memorial Day 1981. The universe and God could not change what occurred, but he did anticipate Randy’s life needs and arranged for him to meet his future wife in Montreal, Canada, in July 1984. The odds of a Chicago boy meeting a recent nursing graduate from Charlottesville, Virginia, could only have been by design. It was a medical meeting with the Flying Physicians Association, and a family friend was trying to play matchmaker, though Randy and Lee found each other despite this. That first night, a group of the younger crowd found a bar for drinks and dancing. A slow song played, and he asked her to dance, and he was a great dancer. By the end of the night, in the park in front of the hotel, he picked her flowers that, luckily, the park police did not notice when they drove by. He loved to tell people that he felt his Grandma Ann had picked her out, and he knew this because an older seagull came and sat next to them while they rested from a bike ride along the canals there. Two weeks after returning home, and with frequent phone calls and letters, he drove to Charlottesville as a surprise, and would have made it to her house if the street sign had not been swiped by a likely errant UVA student. He came for a week and stayed a month, then more frequent visits, until December, when the trip was made to retrieve his things, and he never left. After over 4 years together, he officially proposed on 8/8/88 (8 was his favorite number), and she would not wait until 9/9/99, so they married 8/9/89. This past September, they celebrated 36 years of marriage.

His life experiences were varied, from flying as a private pilot, hard hat diving in Chicago to help clean the out-take pipes underwater, to managing a bar, running his own car rental agency, to selling electronics. As the saying goes, he could sell an Eskimo a deep freezer. He won a national contest with Onkyo stereo equipment as the top salesman of the year, winning a cruise to the Bahamas. His love of flying and being a private pilot propelled him to attend school for Air Traffic Control, which he completed and excelled at, but he was not thrilled with his tower assignment in the middle of Indiana. He took a break and joined his family on that infamous trip to Montreal, Canada. And the rest, as they say, is history.

He also had a knack for finding deals. He bought the family their first flat screen tv with Target gift cards from moving prescriptions to their pharmacy, then gift cards from CVS, by moving them back. If he found something on sale with a coupon and a rebate… it was in the basement where friends would come and shop for tools, computer stuff, and reams of printer paper from returning ink cartridges. He was very proud of the deal on a Weber gas grill through Amazon, when they were just beginning, which was $4.99, because someone put the decimal point in the wrong place. He also entered a contest and won a Nissan Xterra. The growing family needed a new vehicle and a larger house. God and the universe, again, provided the vehicle, so it was easier to afford the house.

He was a wonderful dad and husband, being thrifty with vacations to Virginia Beach, taking the kids to toy stores just to play, trips to Chuck E Cheese, and day trips to Luray Caverns. He included them in many anniversary dinners, justifying that it was all about family, which was a key priority that he lived by. When all three kids had chicken pox simultaneously, he was there. When anyone had to go to the ER or be admitted, he was there. As a stay-at-home dad, he even took over laundry and was very particular, as he was with any project. He was very proud of each kid’s accomplishments, though in later years, with his pain, it was more difficult for him to show it. Jeremy, Jennifer and Andy each reflect parts of him and his passions to include attention to detail, “always put things back better than you found it”, compassion, following in his footsteps with Air Traffic Control, to name a few.

There will be a gathering for services on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at Batten Funeral Home in Ruckersville at 1 pm, followed by a brief graveside service at 2 pm at Ruckersville Community Cemetery. Friends and family are invited to bring a flashlight to shine in his honor, lighting his way to the hereafter.

The family would like to thank Hospice of the Piedmont for their patience and support, as well as the provided laughs with the many trips to the CAHC unit. They would also like to thank the UVA Palliative Care Team for their support during this journey. We could not have made it through without you.

Arrangements are entrusted to Batten Funeral Home of Ruckersville, Virginia.

An online guestbook is available at www.battenfuneral.com for those wishing to share memories or offer condolences. Your kind words will bring comfort and strength to the family during this time.