"John" Stolp passed away April 24 at his home in Lititz. He was the devoted husband of Elaine Diffenderfer Stolp with whom he shared 40 years and devoted father of Matthew Stolp (San Jose, CA), James Stolp (San Jose, CA), Brandon Stolp and wife Kellye McKee (Santa Rosa, CA) and Zachary Stolp (Baltimore, MD). He is also survived by sisters Kathy Hungerford of Arizona and Kelly McCarley of Oklahoma.

John was born in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, son of the late Werner Stolp and Evelyn (Cartlidge) Stolp. He emigrated to the U.S. as an infant aboard the Queen Mary and grew up in southern Arizona. John graduated from Bisbee High School (Arizona) in 1964 and the US Military Academy, West Point, NY in 1968. As a captain in the US Army, he served as a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War and in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Following his discharge from the Army, John returned to Arizona where he earned an MBA degree from Arizona State University. Beginning in the late 1970s, he was employed in sales with the Rogers Corporation, a specialty engineered material company headquartered in Rogers, CT. John and Elaine were married in Tempe, Arizona and lived in northern California for 37 years. Upon John's retirement in 2015, they relocated to Lititz.

John was an active member of the Lititz Moravian Congregation where he was a faithful volunteer with the Hub of Hope food pantry/community meals in Reading. He also enjoyed singing in the Lititz Moravian choir. During his time in Lititz, John enjoyed getting to know the local area, playing guitar, and summer evenings on the back porch with cherished friends and neighbors. He and Elaine enjoyed travel, restoring their home built in 1869 and hosting exchange students. John's life will be forever cherished by his family, friends and all who knew him. He will be remembered fondly for his ready smile, his kindness, and his unwavering optimism.

The family wishes to thank the "Orange Team" and infusion nurses at the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute for their compassionate care during John's illness. They would also like to thank the many anonymous people who donated blood that sustained him over the past 6 months.

Due to current public health guidelines, memorial services will be announced at a future time. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages blood donations and/or contributions in John's memory to the charity of one's choice.