Joseph H. Kalbfus

Pennsylvania Game Commission — Harrisburg, PA

Accident

End of Watch August 10, 1919

Age 72

Tour of Duty 14 yrs

The Vigil Panel 37 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Department 11

Incident

Chief Game Protector Joseph Kalbfus and Field Superintendent Woody Kelly were killed when their patrol car was struck by a "Fast Express" train in Warren County, Pennsylvania.

The two were traveling from DuBois to Warren as part of their inspection of the state game preserves. About 12:15 pm Superintendent Kelly was driving across a track crossing near Sheffield when the express train rounded a curve and struck the car. Dr. Kalbfus was thrown from the vehicle and died instantly while Kelly was pinned between the wreckage of the car and the locomotive. This crossing was in a dangerous location and was the scene of another accident about a week earlier.

Chief Kalbfus had served as the chief of the department since its founding in 1905.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-PA-0B6304BA
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: April 2, 2026
Last updated: July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief Game Protector Kalbfus gave the Pennsylvania Game Commission 14 years.
Thank you for your service to the Harrisburg community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief Game Protector Kalbfus.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department Pennsylvania Game Commission

Location Harrisburg, PA

Platform Identity pgc.dauphin.pa.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch August 10, 1919

Tour of Duty 14 yrs

Age 72

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Chief Game Protector Joseph H. Kalbfus is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In PA, 417 of 1,261 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.1% of this state's fallen. That is 2.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.

At Pennsylvania Game Commission, 5 of 12 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.7% of this agency's fallen.

Pennsylvania Game Commission

of 12 officers

41.7% Accident

PA — Statewide

417

of 1,261 officers

33.1% Accident

Nationwide

10,088

of 32,508 officers

31% Accident