John W de Groot, Jr., 91

June 02, 2019

John W de Groot, Jr., born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and a long-time resident of Lancaster, died on Sunday, June 2, 2019 at the age of 91. He was the husband of Mary Jeanne Reynolds de Groot; they would have celebrated their 70th anniversary on June 11.

Jack was the son of John W. and Elsa Wallack de Groot and was a U. S. Navy Veteran. He served during World War II as a radar technician and, after graduating from college, served in ‘code and cipher’ in the Naval Reserve and retired as a LTJG.

He was a graduate of Camp Hill High School, earned a B.S. in chemistry at Dickinson College, where he and Mary Jeanne were classmates, and then a M.S. at Lehigh University. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

His career was at Armstrong World Industries where he began working in Research and Development, and later moved into Plant Management positions. Through the years he held leadership roles in several professional societies, including American Chemical Society and Society of Plastic Engineers. He held patents and wrote the chapter on ‘Plastics’ for the ‘Encyclopedia of PVC’.

After retirement from Armstrong he was a part-time Technical Editor for Technomic Press for 17 years.

As a citizen he was a dedicated volunteer for the Eden Fire Company and the Manheim Township Ambulance Association. He was Emergency Management Coordinator for the county and initiated the formation of the Lancaster County Disaster Relief Association and a HAZMAT Unit.

His political passion earned him the nickname ‘Mr. Republican’ with some of his friends. In 1976 he was elected delegate to the Republican National Presidential Convention in Kansas City.

For 25 years he served on the Lancaster County Human Relations Commission, donating countless hours to supporting racial equality, and also served as a Citizen Assistant to the local Parole Office.

Jack is survived by his wife and four children; John W. de Groot III, Kenneth Eric de Groot (Denise Adams), Jean de Groot Banzhof (Joseph), and Thomas Craig de Groot (Melanie). These children have given him six beautiful granddaughters whom he adores: Allison (married to Hieu Ta), Michelle, Carolyn, Kendra, Jennifer, Jessica; a grandson, Max, two great grandchildren: Liem and Mai Ta, plus 6 step grandchildren.

Family members will gather for a Memorial Garden Service at Grandview Methodist Church on Saturday, June 29. Friends and family are invited to a Celebration of Life Service at 2:00 on Sunday, June 30, at the Lancaster Country Club. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Manheim Township Fire and Rescue – Volunteer Firefighter Relief Association, 1810 Municipal Drive, Lancaster PA 17601. Arrangements entrusted to Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home & Crematory, 3110 Lititz Pike, Lititz, PA 17543 717-560-5100