DOVER - John Donald Scheible, Jr., of Dover, passed away, Monday, March 5, 2018, at age 87.
Born Dec. 25, 1930, in Akron, Ohio, to the late John Donald Scheible, Sr. and Catherine Graening Scheible.
John, also known as Don to his family, completed United States Air Force Officer training and continued to serve five years during the Korean War, serving in a top secret capacity. John received his Bachelor's Degree in Physics from the University of Akron. He began his career at Goodyear in Akron as a materials specialist and later moved to Dover, Delaware, when recruited by ILC Dover as a textile engineer and designer of space suits for the Apollo space program. His work for ILC Dover also included engineering other life support suits, such as for pilots and Disney characters, and work on the Mars land rover project.
Raising his family in Dover, John was very involved in his children's school band and church youth group activities. He was active in the community, volunteering for the Girls Scouts and as a Leader of a special needs Boy Scout Troop.
After his children had grown, he and Bertha moved to Chestertown, Maryland, where he built their home on the water so he could further enjoy his love of the water, boating, sailing, skiing, and other recreational activities. Volunteering continued to be important to John, and he and Bertha worked tirelessly for the American Red Cross Disaster Recovery Team and Habitat for Humanity across the US, and for years devoted time in the community to Meals on Wheels and helping the elderly with home repairs. His other hobbies were building model boats and airplanes, gardening, camping and motorcycle riding.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Richard Scheible of Stow, Ohio.
He is survived by his devoted and loving wife of 66 years, Bertha Nichols Scheible and their children, Christine van Veen of Wilmington, Sandra Faris (Thomas) of Cramerton, N.C., Kathleen Sieminski (Richard) of Dover and Cynthia Smith (Scott) of Lawrence, Kan.; grandchildren, Brian (Kari), Jonathan, Jamie (Alex), Brittany and Christopher; and seven great-grandchildren.
Family/friends visitation starting at 3 p.m. with Memorial service held at 4 p.m., Friday, March 16, 2018, at Torbert Funeral Chapel South, 1145 E. Lebanon Road (Rt.10), Dover.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to Boy/Girls Scouts, American Red Cross or Meals on Wheels.
Letters of condolences may be sent and guestbook signed at www.torbertfuneral.com