John Conrad Stettner

1928 - 2020

John Conrad Stettner, 92, passed away peacefully on December 31, 2020 at the Emmanuel Center for Nursing in Danville, PA where he had resided for the past year. John was born in Allentown, PA on November 2, 1928, the youngest child of Ludwig and Rosalie (Geiger) Stettner. John is preceded in death by his four siblings: Betty Switaj (Ed), Mary Stettner, Carolin Jerant (Fred), and Ludwig Stettner (Margaret). John is survived by his loving wife, Janet "Cookie" (Mikus), with whom he celebrated 65 years of marriage on October 22nd. He is also survived by his son Michael (Kathleen); daughter Kathleen Malkoskie (Steven); three beloved grandchildren: Laura Stettner, Marc Malkoskie, and Ryan Stettner; several nieces and nephews; and his two cherished granddogs: Max and Murphy.

John graduated from Slatington High School in 1946. He then proudly served as a Private First Class in the United States Army during the Korean War. John worked caring for fellow soldiers as a medic while stationed in both Korea and Japan. After returning from war, he proposed to his sweetheart Janet Mikus, and began his career with Bell Telephone. John worked as a lineman in the Bethlehem area until retiring in 1994.

John and Cookie lived in their treasured neighborhood in Cetronia, a suburb of Allentown, for over 50 years. There, they hosted many of their famous cookouts for friends, neighbors, and family, with John at the grill. In 2016, they moved to Danville, to be closer to their daughter and her family.

John had numerous interests and hobbies throughout his life. He enjoyed camping with his brother Lud and son Mike, small game hunting, and coin collecting. John and Janet enjoyed dancing past midnight with friends. He loved games and sports:bowling, crossword puzzles, Polish Bingo and Michigan Rummy.

John was an avid gardener. His knowledge of trees and plants was impressive. He could identify fruit trees even when they were dormant. His enormous tomatoes were famous. John ground homegrown horseradish into sauce and grew garlic, dill and cucumbers to make his renowned dill pickles.

For over 50 years, John and Cookie played with a monthly card club, a wonderful group of friends. With the card club John and Janet traveled to Jamaica, Mexico, and various destinations throughout the United States. The trips were a source of great memories for all!

John also dedicated many evenings to listening to or watching his cherished Phillies, Flyers, and Eagles, whom he FINALLY got to see win a Super Bowl in 2018. He also loved tinkering with and fixing any kind of household item; and because of that, he had an impressive collection of tools, nails, screws, zip-ties, wire, and random bits of metal, all of which may or may not have driven Cookie nuts.

John was truly the epitome of a smart, hardworking, honest, all-American family man. He was loved and respected by all who knew him. John will be missed terribly by family and friends, but none so much as his soulmate Cookie.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in John's memory to the Korean War Veterans Association at www.kwva.us/?page=mem_donate.

Due to safety and health concerns, all services will be private, with the possibility of a more public gathering announced at a later date.