John Earl Charles Kocher, Jr., passed away on Thursday, March 27, at the age of 91. He was a caring and wonderful husband and dad. He will be remembered for many things but especially his dedication to family, his work ethic, his mischievous side, and his love of animals. He was born on November 18, 1933, in Nazareth to the late John Earl Charles Kocher Sr. and Evelyn (McKinley) Kocher. After a couple of moves in Nazareth, their family settled in Wilson Borough on a little farm. The home still is there to this day; and he would talk about it often.
He was the loving husband of the late Gloria Joan (Stannard) Kocher. He has missed her very much since her passing in 2021. They shared many wonderful memories in their 60 years of marriage. They had a mutual love of animals, birds, and butterflies. He curated many collections. He enjoyed watching John Wayne movies and often enjoyed watching TCM. He was fond of listening to classical music. He was keen on eating at diners especially at his favorite, the Snydersville Diner.
He graduated from Wilson Area High School in 1952. He served in the Army and was stationed at Ft. Bliss in Texas. He worked on guided missile systems at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. He also took electrical engineering classes through Penn State University. He was an electrician until he was 72 years old. He was a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. He was a member of Local 367 in Easton, Pennsylvania, and then Local 102 in Parsippany, New Jersey. He was a member of IBEW for 74 years. He also helped with the journeyman program for IBEW for many years. He worked at various construction sites and companies throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. He enjoyed learning how things worked. He also took pleasure in working around the house and out in the yard. John was a member of the F&AM Easton Lodge, No. 152, since 1955. He was also a member of Pomp Council No. 20, Shriners International and the Scottish Rite. He belonged and was a lifetime member of many social clubs in Easton.
Surviving are his three daughters and a son-in-law, who he felt was more of a son than an in-law. His children are Sharon Allison Leh and her husband, Timothy, of Fredericksburg, PA; Karin Joan Kocher and Shawn-Kimberly Kocher, both of Stockertown. John is also survived by a sister, Jean Mary Straub (Thomas) of Nashua, NH. He has two grand-dog-ters, Abby and Whittle, along with two grandbirds, Abby and Boppers, that will miss him. He was preceded in death by sisters, Geraldine Gaffney; Pauline Alexander; and Joyce Girton.
Services will be held 2 PM Wednesday (Apr. 2) in the mausoleum at Northampton Memorial Shrine, 3051 Green Pond Rd., Easton with visitation from 1:30 to 2 PM in the mausoleum. The Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial remembrances be made to any of the following: Country Meadows Retirement Communities – Co-Worker Foundation at https://www.countrymeadows.com/about-us/co-worker-foundation or St. Luke’s Hospice at https://www.slhn.org/development/ways-to-give/make-a-gift or Masonic Charities of Pennsylvania at https://masoniccharitiespa.org or Shriners Children’s Hospital at https://lovetotherescue.org.
The family thanks the health care workers that have helped with dad over the past few years. We also appreciate the staff at Country Meadows in Bethlehem for the excellent care for the past two months. Finally to St. Luke’s Hospice for their care and comfort during these past few days for our dad and family.
