John P. Krop

1924 - 2014

John P. Krop
Jan. 5, 1924 - July 9, 2014
Los Gatos, California
John was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. After high school, he received education as an electrical engineer and worked at IBM in Amsterdam.
In 1943, during WW2, John was sent to Berlin as a forced laborer. In 1945, he was liberated by the Russians and returned to work for IBM.
A witness to the enormity of the destruction of the war, he became a lifelong pacifist and decided to go into social work. He attended the School of Social Work in Amsterdam, and upon graduation worked in this field.
He soon married Ilona Mantel. Together they had 3 children: Myra, Niels and Olaf. He received a Fullbright scholarship and earned an M.A. in Social Work and Community Organization from the University of Minnesota.
In 1960, the young family immigrated to the U.S. and settled in California where John worked for Santa Clara County Social Services. In 1969 he went into private practice, specializing in family and couples counseling at the Center for Human Communication in Los Gatos. He also taught in the US and in Europe, and his work has been published in 3 languages. During this period of his life he touched many lives. In 1971, he and Ilona divorced.
In 1976 he remarried to Truus Jansen. They both retired in 1991. Upon their retirement, they pursued their love of the outdoors and they traveled extensively, visiting nature reserves on five continents.
After a brief illness, John died peacefully at home on July 9, 2014. He will be missed by us all: Truus, Myra, Niels, Olaf and their spouses and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held on August 7, 2014 at 11AM at Hakone Gardens in Saratoga. No flowers please.