John W. Davis, Jr., 77, of Northfield passed away peacefully on 1/10/2021 in Lancaster, PA surrounded by his family.

John was born in Kingston, PA on Dec. 1, 1943. He graduated high school in Bethlehem, PA. In 1967, he graduated from Franklin & Marshall College where his greatest accomplishment was meeting and marrying his wife, Sharon. John was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and some might say he carried a little bit of "frat boy" with him throughout his life.

A 53 year resident of Southern New Jersey and 47 year resident of Northfield, John spent his career in the fuel industry working at South Jersey Fuel and then McAllister Fuels before retiring at 65 so he could pester his wife.

First and foremost, John was a man of strong character and honor, a consummate gentleman who took pride in serving his country and his community. He joined the Army Reserves where he earned the rank of Sergeant First Class. He graduated 1st in his class from Drill Sergeant School which was the perfect training ground for keeping his four children in line. He served in the Army Reserves for 9 years.

John was a founding member of the Northfield-Linwood Kiwanis Club serving for over 37 years. He ran their annual "Peanut Day" fundraiser which meant that the Davis household was never lacking in peanuts for snacking. In his younger years, John could be seen wearing the Mr. Peanut costume in the local Memorial Day parades tossing peanuts to spectators. Eventually his waistline and the narrow costume no longer agreed with each other.

John was a member of Central United Methodist Church for more than 40 years where he ushered and served on various committees. He enjoyed attending the "early" service and then inviting everyone in attendance to join the "Breakfast Club" for a group meal at a local diner afterward.

John was a devoted family man. With his kids in mind, he helped start the Northfield soccer program in the 1970s. He spent many years coaching his children in soccer and T-ball which required him to get creative with how to handle the varying personalities and skill levels of his players. Through it all, he always made it fun and made sure each child played their fair share of time and felt celebrated even in their smallest victories.

He served on the Mainland Regional High School Board of Education for more than 6 years so that he could ensure his children had a great education. In this role, John was able to proudly hand each of his children their high school diploma during their graduation ceremony.

In his free time, John liked to hack his way around the golf course. He blamed his bad swing on the broken elbow he suffered when Sharon pulled him down on the skating rink in his 30s. In later years, he joined the church pickleball league.

John will be fondly remembered for his quick wit, the infamous "Army" haircuts his children were subjected to, his skill in tackling any home or car repair, his ability to bring "toilet talk" to any family dinner, his knowledge of obscure crossword puzzle words, tirelessly helping his children's friends with college and financial aid applications, his willingness to wear costume jewelry and twirl like a ballerina to bring a smile to his grandchildrens' faces, and the 6 page double-sided humorous letters he'd send to his kids in college with $20 tucked inside.

Above all else, John will be remembered for just being a good man who put others before himself and believed in doing things the right way while having a lot of fun doing it.

John is survived by his wife of 54 wonderful years, Sharon (nee Briggs) of Northfield, NJ, four children John III (Kim McIver), Kevin, Sr. (Kris), Becky (Tim) Guhl, and Mindy (Michael) Go, nine grandchildren Kevin, Jr. (Deborah), Daniel (Emily), Douglas, Jackie, Amanda, Jared, Caroline, Andrew, and Kaylee, and two great grandchildren Zoey and Kevin III as well as his "summer son" Jim (Sue) Turpin and their four daughters, two sisters Ruth (Charlie) Burkhart and Marion Reese. He was preceded in death by his parents, John, Sr and Ruth Davis.

Services will be private at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your local food bank. Please leave your condolences or favorite memory of John below.