Hanover, NH- John E. Roelker died on Sunday, June 26, 2022, at The Greens at Hanover, NH after just celebrating his 96th birthday. John was born on June 17, 1926, in Howell Township, NJ, son of Edward and Nina (Hovey) Roelker and was raised in Englewood, NJ.

At the age of 11, his mother took him to Lakehurst to watch docking airships and they were witness to the Hindenburg disaster; the experience did not dampen the young man's love of flight and the air. John later graduated from Englewood High School after playing against the St. Cecilia H.S. team coached by his downstairs neighbor, Vince Lombardi of the Green Bay Packers. He continued his education at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, NJ and was a talented football center and lacrosse athlete. He entered the Navy as an officer and honorably served as an engineering officer on the U.S.S. Major, a Buckley-class San Diego-based destroyer escort for three years at the end of World War II.

Shortly after being hired by Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation of Harrison, NJ, he was sent to France, where he became fluent in French. He oversaw the manufacturing of hydraulic pumps and compressors. John was married to Renee Louise Lafond of St. Etienne, France in November 1952 in Algiers when Algeria was a French colony. In early 1956, in order to avoid the uprising, he returned to Paris, where his son was born shortly thereafter. He finished his stint with Worthington with a 2 ½-year stay in Tokyo. From there he went to Koehring Corp, earthmoving equipment, of Milwaukee, WI, which saw him back in Paris for 2 years. He transitioned to the Industrial Products Group of ITT Europe in Brussels, Belgium, then was hired away as Executive Vice President for Revlon Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals.

He ended his career when he retired in 1990 as President of Ares-Serono S.A. Geneva. Upon retiring, he and Renee moved to the South of France and spent their days flying his helicopter, a Bell 206B3 Jet Ranger, over Europe. In early 2009 they moved to their summer home in Rochester, VT and following her death in late 2016, he settled in Hanover, NH with his son, Thomas.

John is survived by his son Thomas E. Roelker of Hanover, NH; two stepsons Jean Paul and Pierre Chevallet of France; other relatives and friends.

A graveside service will be held at 2 pm on Wednesday, July 6, 2022, at the Woodlawn Cemetery in Rochester, VT. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor John's passing may do so by making memorial contributions to Semper Fi Fund, America's Fund they protect at least their own data:

[ https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=thefund.org&latest ], Upper Valley Haven they protect at least their own data: [ https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=uppervalleyhaven.org ], CDC Foundation they protect at least their own data: [ https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/analyze.html?d=www.cdcfoundation.org ]

Thomas would like to thank especially Dr. Adam J. Schwarz, Lee Davidson and Claudia Simard (Personal Caregivers), and BAYADA Hospice of Norwich, VT.