John William
Rohland, 92
DOVER - John William Rohland died on Monday, February 7, 2022, at Kent General Hospital, Dover. Mr. Rohland was born February 23, 1929, in Penns Creek, Pennsylvania to the late Charles Pell Rohland and Mary Grace Clinger Rohland.
He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps after graduating from high school. He was stationed in England for five years during the 1950s, then served as a flight crew chief on B-52s in Loring, Maine at the height of the Cold War. He spent a year in Thailand flying on reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam, and he ended his military career as a flight engineer on cargo missions to Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. He mastered the engineering systems of several transport aircraft, notably C-141 Starlifters based at Dover. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1971 after 24 years of service and settled with his family in Delaware. He then earned bachelor's and master's degrees, worked for the State of Delaware in Child Protective Services for ten years, and finally for Flight Safety International in pilot training for more than a decade.
Mr. Rohland retired from that third career in the 1990s to spend more time with his family and to engage in his favorite activity, flying. He earned a private pilot license at age 16, before he had a driver's license. He co-owned several light aircraft during his life, and he regularly flew the skies of the Delmarva Peninsula before his marriage and after retiring from the Air Force. When illness "grounded" him in his seventies, he continued to fly virtually, since he was already an aficionado of flight simulation programs.
Although he would always rather be flying, Mr. Rohland had many other hobbies, notably crossword puzzles, wide-ranging reading, billiards, and cooking. He enriched the lives of his friends through his knowledge of American and British history and of world geography. He was a longtime member of the Middleburg, Pennsylvania, Masonic Lodge, the Air Force Sergeants Association, and the American Pilots' Association. He contributed to numerous charitable organizations, including the Parkinson's Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project. All who knew Mr. Rohland benefited from his gentlemanly qualities, including generosity, reliability, loyalty, honesty, and a kindly sense of humor.
In addition to his parents; he was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Lucy Walsh Rohland in 2004. He is survived by his son, Mark William Rohland and his wife Catherine of Glenside, Pennsylvania; his daughter, Diane Ellen Rohland of Dover; and two grandchildren, Charlie and Thomas Rohland, both of Glenside.
A viewing will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Monday, February 21, 2022, at Torbert Funeral Chapel South, 1145 E. Lebanon Road (Rt.10), Dover. Interment will be at 11 a.m., Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 2465 Chesapeake City Road, Bear, Delaware 19701.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to the Dover Air Force Base USAF Aid Society, 846 Sumner Drive, Dover, Delaware 19902.
Letters of condolence may be sent, and a guestbook may be signed at www.torbertfuneral.com