John W. Mohler III

John W. Mohler III, also known as "J-Wu" in his 44th year, passed away peacefully at his home on February 10th. He was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania son of John (Jack) W. Mohler Jr. and Colleen DeFranco.

John grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, moved to South Carolina for a while, and then returned to Lancaster. He started school in the Hempfield School District, then transferred to Solanco, and graduated from McCaskey.

After graduation he worked as an electrician with his Uncle Jack, then went on to work at Arconic/Alcoa, working his way up to a supervisor and while there he formed many lifelong friendships.

John always thought of Lancaster as his home, and when asked if he would ever live somewhere else, he would always say, “Nope, Lancaster is my home.” He did love to travel with his friends and family and visited a few islands over the years, along with many other places throughout the United States. In his younger days, during the summers, he would live at the Chesapeake Bay and built a network of friends and family there.

John enjoyed the excitement of Philadelphia, where his football team was the Philadelphia Eagles, and his baseball team, the Phillies, reside.

Growing up, John played football and baseball, but his true love and passion was building and riding motorcycles. Over the years, he built a couple of custom motorcycles and won a few trophies. For many years, John had a garage that looked like a professional motorcycle shop, where he always had the doors open to anyone who wanted to come by and just sit or wrench with him. It was a safe haven for everyone.

Johnny had the biggest smile and the biggest heart. Anyone who ever had the chance to meet him would attest to this. He always tried to make people smile or laugh, especially if you were having a problem, you knew you could go to him, and even if he could not solve it, he would make you feel better.

John is survived by his companion, Crystal Lynn Willauer, his brother Sean Garvey, husband of Julie, his sister Crystal Cruz, wife of Kellmy (KC), and brothers Jordan, Cheyenne, and Dylan Weber.

He is also survived by his nephews, Damian Bonilla, fiancé of Leah, Javien Sanchez, Carmine Sanchez, Xavier Cruz, Kellmy Cruz Jr., Quinn Garvey, and Beckham Garvey, and his nieces Alyce Burts, wife of Drew, Penelope Garvey, Scarlett Garvey, and Emilia Garvey, his great-nephews Leo and Eli Bonilla, and his great-niece Malani Cruz. He is further survived by his uncle Jack DeFranco, fiancé of Angie, his uncle Ed Mohler, his uncle Denny McCauley, husband of Gina, his aunts Denise Strandell, wife of Robert, Debra Appel, wife of Steve, Heather Ellis, wife of Craig, Dolores, Pam, and Nancy, Dee DeFranco along with many other extended aunts, uncles, and cousins.

John is also survived by many beloved friends whom he considered family.

He was preceded in death by John W. Mohler Sr., Joseph and Elaine DeFranco, and June and Vern McCauley, all grandparents, as well as his Uncle Tom DeFranco, Uncle Raymond Mohler, and Uncle Richard McCauley, plus many beloved friends who passed before him.

The family welcomes you on Monday, February 16th, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for a viewing, followed by a service at Charles F. Snyder III Funeral Home & Crematory, located at 2421 Willow Street Pike, Willow Street, Pennsylvania 17584.