The altercation took place on Monday at the Pinebrook Personal Care and Retirement Center near Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County.
Fred Govern was taken to the hospital after the fight to be checked out, but then he suffered a fatal heart attack.
His son, Fred Govern, Jr., says it all started after another resident cut the line for dinner.
"My father had to have said something to him about jumping the line, which I know he would do, knowing my father. The guy just turned around when my father checked him and started punching him," his son said.
An autopsy has been conducted but the findings have not been released.
State police continue to investigate.
