John D. Pfeifle

John died in the peaceful setting of the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon, NH surrounded by family: his wife, Mel, of 50 years, and his three sons; Trask, Bret and Jeb.  John was a dynamic and kind person, passionate about all that life had to offer. In addition to his sons, John had three wonderful daughters-in-law and eight grandchildren that were never far from his thoughts.  He adored each of them and took great pride in their successes.  John spent most of his childhood in the outdoors of Maine at Sugarloaf Mountain and later went on to boarding school at Holderness where he was the school president and captained two sports, lacrosse and skiing.  From Holderness, he went on to join the class of 1971 at Dartmouth College where he lettered in skiing and was a member of Theta Delta Chi and The Senior Society, Sphinx.  While at Dartmouth, he married Mel Hinman and developed lasting long friendships.

After graduating Dartmouth, John moved to Bradford, NH and went to work for Universal Packaging, now known as Graphic Packaging.  He was promoted to plant manager of their Bow, NH facility at the young age of 26 and went on to become Vice President of Manufacturing when his longtime boss, Glen Dillon, retired. Upon the later retirement of Jack Hutton, he was named President of what is now Graphic Packaging's folding carton division. John was a mentor to many of the company’s current executives. He continued to pursue innovation technology in the folding carton industry.
 
John was a current selectmen in Bradford, where he resided for the last 50 years, and an active selectmen for the past 17 years where his town meeting attendance was nearly perfect for his entire tenure.  As a town leader, he used his business talents and experience to support the town and most importantly to him, all of the town employees.  John was an avid sportsmen, as well as a private pilot with a seaplane rating.  He loved fly fishing, hunting and skiing almost as much as the people that he shared each of these hobbies alongside.  This has become part of his legacy that lives on through his family as they continue to embrace his passions.
 
A memorial reception in honor of John and his legacy will be held on Friday, January 24th from 5:00 to 8:00 PM in the main lodge at Sunapee Mountain.  All are invited to join and share their favorite memories of John.