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John Poncy Obituary
John excelled in athletics, playing football, soccer, and boxing as a young adult. He was an All-American and Collegiate Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion in 1986 and played soccer for the Armed Forces National Team in 1990.
John rose to the rank of Major in the Army, graduating from Ranger, Airborne, and Pathfinder school along the way. His favorite assignments included one in The Old Guard leading the sentinels at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and another commanding an elite I Corps Long Range Surveillance company.
Following his military service, John earned an MBA at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. He then enjoyed an illustrious career in the private sector as a business consultant and CEO of several companies within the fields of information technology and private military contracting.
John had countless friends throughout his life and his professional network was extensive. He was active in various charitable organizations and was always seeking out new ways to serve others. He volunteered as an Emmaus leader for his church family and maintained an unfailing Christian faith. John was well-read, articulate, and had a natural gift for the written word. He had a life-long passion for learning, and he pursued his interests to the point of mastery.
John will be deeply missed by his children, Victoria, John Jr. and William, and their mother Kathleen, as well as siblings Noel McDonell (Mark), Alison Mitchell (Carl), Dr. Jordie Poncy, parents George and Susan Poncy, grandmother Kathryn Thomas and many devoted aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A memorial service for John will be held at 11:00 am on 2 December 2023 at First Presbyterian Church in North Palm Beach, with interment at Arlington National Cemetery on a later date. Donations in John's honor may be sent to Military Veteran Project at https://www.militaryveteranproject.org/.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Martha Ritchie
September 25, 2024
A little kid who was settling into home at Mom-Mom´s and Pop-Pop´s home in Chatham NJ with his sister Noel. There they were warmly welcomed as only the Poncy/Goran families knew how to do and the soon-to-be daughter-in-law my sister Mary/Marnie Ritchie feel graciously and easily fell in line, and if I may say so so did her family.
Richard Shellow
June 6, 2024
John was a fantastic person, intelligent, funny and kind. The kind of person who makes the world a better place to live in. My life is better because I got to know him and consider him a friend. May he rest in peace.
Nate McIlhaney
December 15, 2023
Is there a date for John's internment at Arlington yet?
Oscar Ernand
December 11, 2023
I had the pleasure of meeting John through soccer, as my youngest one played with William. Great person, extraordinary father. My deepest sentiment of sorrow for the entire family.
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Nate
December 3, 2023
You are greatly missed John. Thank you for all the kind guidance. You were a gracious man. Sorry I couldn't make it to your service.
Mike and Nancy Atwater
November 29, 2023
Our thoughts, prayers and tears are with the wonderful Poncy family as they walk through this valley. Love and hope are on the other side of the valley!
kathrynclardy
November 28, 2023
when i saw him at aunt sue s house and i am sure going to miss miss alot and his family are in my prayers/
Ginny Robson Kirkland
November 22, 2023
John and I went to The Benjamin School together. I remember him as being a model young man. Smart, handsome, a great athlete, well-mannered, full of smiles, maybe a bit of a prankster. We reconnected through Facebook a few years ago and enjoyed getting to know each other as adults. I was in awe of his accomplishments, academically, as an athlete, as a soldier, professionally and as a proud American. He bragged about his three children every chance he had and talked about his tremendous love for Beth and the tragedy of losing her. John was a teacher and relentlessly pushed me to want more, to be more, to give more. A favorite quote he shared with me was, "Take the honorable path and you can´t go wrong." You certainly took the honorable path, my friend. I´ll miss the rest of our friendship.
Bruce Wallin
November 15, 2023
I met John Poncy in the late summer of 1982. We had both been assigned to our academic cadet company for our freshman (plebe) year at West Point. Through the chaos and confusion of reorganization week, the week between cadet basic training and the commencement of academics, we were warned as plebes we would be outnumbered by upperclassmen 3 to 1. John helped even the odds for the plebes of H-3. I noticed he was an attention magnet for the hazing. Hardly a formation or ping down the hallway was not accompanied by an upperclassmen yelling, "Poncy! Start the Days!" -- "Poncy! The Corps!" -- "Poncy! You call that a dress-off!?". I wondered why he was receiving the extra attention. I think in part, it was the name. "Poncy!" was almost a breathless yell and it turned demanding plebe knowledge from him into a sport. It was through this added attention my first of many admirations for John occurred. He not only took it, he set an example how the rest of us could learn to take it. He recognized it for what it was and moved on. I mentioned "dress-off" earlier. This was a plebe requirement creating a taunt, tapered appearance to the uniform top you were wearing above the rear beltline -- even t-shirts. You needed a classmate to do it well. That is how John and I first met. He scuttled into my room after a "correction opportunity" session with a shouting upperclassman. I was polishing my shoes and showed John my shoe-polish covered fingers. He snapped at me, "Use your knuckles!". I did, but there was no way to avoid black streaks on his crisp white uniform. His return to the hallway was then an intensified fray of others joining in. He later returned to my room and snapped again, "Thanks a lot fat-head!". John used that term a lot in those days, and not as a term of endearment. I retaliated by leaving a half-eaten calzone in his pillowcase. He was more intrigued than upset. It was a challenge to prank one another and he thrived at that game. We also found common ground with our sense of humor. However, I found a weakness in his prank strategy -- he could not refuse a dare. No matter how ridiculous of farfetched, John would take a dare to a flaw. This created some hysterical memories -- sliding down a mud caked hill on his back in short overcoat, chugging a glass of sour milk in the mess hall, are among the list with many others.
John, two other classmates and I drove a rented car to Philadelphia for the Army Navy Game that December. John and I stayed with his Uncle for the weekend. They welcomed me as if I was their own family. I could tell from their interaction that John was a handful for them from visits when he was younger. Of course, John and I got lost in Philadelphia returning from the game which turned into another adventure. An apartment window in the distance flew open a person randomly yelled, "Time cheese. Cheese of misery!". John and I would send each other that phrase to each other almost every A/N game from that moment on. When we returned from Christmas Leave, John made it a point to act our all of the music videos he saw -- in case I missed them. I also recall going to the movies on occasion with John. I'd never met anyone that was so into movies. Watching John enjoy a movie was often more entertaining than the movie itself.
I laugh out loud to this day, thinking of those memories with John. We were not as close as we once were throughout our plebe year, but we always managed to stay in touch. We traded letters before social media. John had a great talent for expressive writing -- like a Ken Burns/Peter Coyote narrated kind of good. His correspondences made me laugh, and lifted my spirits as only he could.
I am thankful he visited me for a weekend (~1994) so my wife, Michelle, had an opportunity to meet him and confirm all of our stories from a decade earlier. We went to sing karaoke. John was right in his comfort wheelhouse. He had an amazing singing voice. Michelle and I remember how he brought the crowd to a hush as the first head him, and then turn into cheering wildly for him fully engaged.
John and I never met in person again after that weekend. I was hoping to surprise him at a class reunion in 2016, but he did not attend.
I was deeply saddened at the news of his passing. Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to the Poncy Family. I am but one of many his life touched with lasting memories of humor and friendship.
Nick Kitcharoen
November 12, 2023
To the entire Poncy family and his friends, you all have my sincerest condolences. I just learned of John´s passing today, and it saddens me a great deal because I know he still had so much to give.
During my professional career in finance, there were only 2 supervisors that I truly respected and admired, and John was certainly one of them. His intelligence and leadership abilities were quite admirable, and I looked up to him as a young professional. He was an advisor on a project of mine and I knew he still had so much left to contribute. The great thing though was after he was my boss, we became friends. I´ll always remember the sincere guidance you gave me in your performance review emails when I was at Venali. Thanks John - you were one of the best without a doubt! May God bless you in heaven as He did in this world. RIP brother.
Bruce Wallin
October 27, 2023
Bruce Wallin
October 27, 2023
Sandy Frank
October 11, 2023
I remember John and The Poncy and Thomas families when they would go to Marathon in the Florida Keys every summer for family time together. They graciously would include me for a few days and we would swim snorkle, fish and have family dinners together and eat mangoes, do crossword puzzles and some would play tennis. It was a special time and if they caught any lobster that would be a special night and I might make some Key lime pies for dessert. Precious in the sight of the Lord are His saints!
Sandy Stroberg Frank
Andrew
October 10, 2023
John had an enormous head, like IMAX screen huge, gravitational pull huge, it was more often than not the topic of many of our conversations. When I first came across John at USMA he was equal parts annoying, humorous, athlete, provocateur of demerits, and a bit loud. But quickly the annoying part left and it was just pure joy and laughter to be around John, he made the difficult tolerable and the impossible within reach. As the years wore on he was an amazing friend, an outstanding leader, and a role model for what a USMA grad should be. I'm mad at what befell John, he had so much more to give, he was the guidant for me and for many. I can only pledge to make his life be a model for mine. Love you John - and my thoughts to the Poncy family the true joy of his life.
Dan Regna
October 5, 2023
John was one of a kind. Known and beloved by his entire West Point Class of 1986. Over the years, John became legendary within our class. He was the rare classmate that every other classmate knew. As a new cadet, I met John on Day One at West Point as we were assigned to the same Cadet Basic Training (Beast Barracks) squad. Every new plebe was totally stressed out by the military training intensity (and hazing) except John. No amount of hazing by an upperclassman could wipe the smile from John's face or humor from his mouth. Nothing could bring John down. He was a beacon to all of us through difficult times. A great leader, soldier, classmate and friend who will be sorely missed by his 1986 West Point classmates. Job well done, Be Thou at Peace. Courage Never Quits 1986. Beat Navy!
Thomas Strangwolf
October 5, 2023
He was my Emmaus table leader. He will be greatly missed at the Emmaus weekends.
Deacon Joseph Clement Buccilli, PhD
October 5, 2023
John, I'm praying that you'll continue rest in the Peace of Christ, my dear Emmaus brother in Christ.
michael Hewitt
October 4, 2023
My most heartfelt condolences and prayers to the entire Poncy Family.
John, was one of my closest friends in High School. I will miss him greatly. Although we only saw each other a few times over the years we still stayed in touch. We both served in the Army at same time: John through West Point and me through ROTC. John and I rarely if ever got in much trouble in school but during the last week of High School at The Benjamin School one day when I was actually studying in Study Hall in the Library a friend of ours, Mike Kettering decided to yank all my books out of my bookbag and they went all over the floor, I just picked them up and then since John thought that was funny he did the same thing. This time I fired a warning shot " Do not do that again" and of course John did do it again. I got up and pushed John as hard as I could and he went flying across the library. John unfortunately landed on the Library Card Catalog and hit it with such force that it very slowly and painfully fell to the ground and shattered in a million pieces. And low and behold here comes the teacher back to see us both standing among hundreds of cards scattered all over. Needless to say, we both end up in the Dean's office that day.
The vibrancy of a well-lived life never fades. You will be missed by friend but never forgotten.
Jim Brogan
October 3, 2023
One of my favorite high school memories with John. Misread the play from Coach Mullins on a critical, late-game, third and long against Glades Day. Faked the handoff to Scott (RIP to you too sir), whom everyone thought would get the ball, and handed the ball to John. He crushed it. We talked and laughed about it over the years. Miss you Ponce!
Pastor Lucky Arnold
October 3, 2023
Pastor Lucky Arnold
Penny and I hold the Poncy and Thomas families in our hearts and prayers.
I remember John´s smile, his laugh, his passion, focus, intensity and quick wit. He loved to compete. I remember John´s magnetic personality as he was a leader in the Youth Ministry of the church. He was a part of a band of brothers and sisters who loved God and each other. I was blessed to be one of his pastors.
Sandy Stroberg Frank
October 2, 2023
Praying for peace and comfort for the family!
Coach Ream
October 2, 2023
To the entire Poncy Family,
You have my sincerest sympathy and condolences. John left us way too early, but he left me with many fond and happy memories.
I was John's high school football coach and junior high math teacher. He had a wonderful smile, a congenial personality, and a great sense of humor. He was mischievious at times, but also was a very caring person. He loved life and could easily carry on a conversation. He made friends easily and made lasting relationships.
My biggest take away from John was his grit and never quit attitude. In football he worked hard and always did his best. He never backed down from a challenge.
Even though time and distance have seperated us, I will miss him greatly and I am glad that he was part of my career. RIP John!
Coach Ream
Martha Ritchie
October 2, 2023
Never quit and always be a gentleman from a very distant relation, but that doesn´t matter. Martha Ritchie
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