John Carl Hoelk, 88, of Lititz, PA, died at Luther Acres Healthcare Center on Saturday July 30, 2016. Born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 7, 1928, John was the son of the late Hans and Elsa Hoelk. John was the loving husband to Erika (von Soosten) Hoelk for 60 years. John graduated from McKinley Tech in Washington, DC, and attended the University of Maryland in College Park. John enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1946 where he trained to be a radioman. He served on three Coast Guard Cutters; the Cherokee, the Pontchartrain, and the Chincoteague. Later in his career he served as an aviation radioman in Elizabeth City, North Carolina and Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York. In 1955 he served as an air traffic controller at National Airport in Washington, D.C. He married Erika in 1956 in Brooklyn, NY, and they raised their family in Hyattsville, Maryland, where they resided for over 40 years. They were members of St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Washington, DC. John was also a member of American Legion Posts # 108, Cheverly, MD and #136 in Greenbelt, MD. John retired from the US Postal Service where he worked as a mail carrier and postal clerk. After retirement he became a volunteer for Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Hyattsville, MD. John and Erika moved to Lititz, PA in 2004. They became members of Brickerville United Lutheran Church in Brickerville, PA. John enjoyed reading, road trips and anything having to do with railroads, especially steam engines. He truly loved spending time with his children and grandchildren. He is survived by his wife, Erika, and their four children: The Rev. Linda Hanus (The Rev. Clifford) of Marana, AZ; JoAnn Marvel (Dr. Jon) of Cullowhee, NC; Barbara Moseman (John) of Columbia, MD and Mark Hoelk (Marybeth Dugan) of College Park, MD. He is also survived by three grandchildren; Kimberly, Christopher and Johnny Moseman and two cousins, Gerard Hoelk, Utah and Carl Hoelk, Virginia. A memorial service will be held at Brickerville United Lutheran Church, 340 E. 28th Division Highway, Lititz, PA 17543 on Saturday August 6, 2016 at 11AM with the Rev. Scott K. Davis presiding. Friends will be received one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Interment will be private and at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Brickerville United Lutheran Church at the above address.