Ralph Lee Kuhn Jr., 83, remembered as family-focused owner of well-known Allegheny Township eatery

Longtime restaurateur Ralph Kuhn of Allegheny Township is being remembered as a tireless worker and dedicated family man.

Ralph Lee Kuhn Jr. died Monday, Aug. 29, 2022 at home from health-related issues. He was 83.

Kuhn was the co-owner and operator of Crossroads Inn & Motel in Allegheny Township since 1986.

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

Crossroads Inn & Motel is at 1127 Route 356 in Allegheny Township.

Diane Kuhn, 78, his co-owner and wife of 57 years, said the restaurant was like a first home for her late husband.

The couple have lived upstairs above the eatery since 1989.

“He enjoyed the social part of it and did everything there,” Kuhn said.

Crossroads closed temporarily in response to Kuhn’s death and will reopen Tuesday, Sept. 6.

Diane Kuhn said she plans to continue her husband’s legacy and keep the business open.

“I have good help — that’s why,” she said of her dedicated staff, many of whom have been employed for decades. “Ralph was very generous with his staff and always gave them holidays off.”

Crossroads is near Leechburg at Weinel’s Crossroads, on Route 356, and serves classic homemade American fare. It is known for its chicken wings.

Originally a stagecoach stop in the 1800s, it previously was a dance hall and tavern during the 1930s.

The adjacent motel on the property is still in operation, with nine rooms offered as nightly rentals or monthly efficiency apartments.

Born in 1939, Kuhn was raised in the Rosedale neighborhood of Penn Hills. He graduated from Penn Hills High School in 1959.

The Kuhns married 57 years ago in Verona.

Ralph Kuhn worked as a foreman for his brother’s business, Kuhn Construction, for 42 years.

Kuhn’s son, Scott, 54, of Allegheny Township said his father was a guiding example of hard work during his life.

“He worked seven days a week, and family always came first,” Scott Kuhn said. “He was beyond a hard worker. I learned so much working alongside him. He was a true handyman.”

Ralph Kuhn was especially skillful in plumbing, carpentry, carpeting and “just about everything,” his son said.

However, on the rare occasion that Kuhn wasn’t working, he particularly enjoyed dining at Chinese restaurants, enjoying the buffets, relatives said.

Kuhn was a member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Leechburg.

Apart from a seven-year relocation to Tionesta in Forest County to work at the family-owned Forest Manor restaurant, the Kuhns resided in Penn Hills and the Alle-Kiski Valley.

“We just weren’t that happy there,” Diane Kuhn said of their reason for leaving Tionesta and returning to Allegheny Township.

Courtesy of the Kuhn Family

The late Ralph Kuhn with his wife, Diana, were co-owners of Crossroads Inn & Motel in Allegheny Township since 1986. Ralph died Monday, Aug. 29.

Kuhn’s hobby was buying, restoring and selling cars, but he sold them all a few years ago, Scott Kuhn said.

The Kuhns experienced another heartbreaking loss in 2021 when their son, Shawn, died unexpectedly.

Diane said Ralph was never the same after that loss.

Kuhn was especially proud of his five grandchildren and traveled nationwide to watch them participate in various Kiski Area sports, including soccer, volleyball, wrestling, baseball and football.

“He was so proud of each of them,” Scott Kuhn said. “He even went to Texas when my daughter played in national championships.”

Visitation is from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, and 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, at Clawson Funeral Home in Leechburg. Funeral services will start at 11Thursday.