John N. Majerus

Dr. JOHN NEIL MAJERUS John N Majerus, age 76 a 9 year resident of North Port, FL, died at his home on June 13, 2015. John was born on August 28, 1938, in Detroit Lakes, MN. Around age 3, John and his parents moved to California. John grew up in southern CA and attended Univ. of Santa Clara to obtain a B.C.E degree in 1960. He then went to the U of I, Champaign-Urbana, IL, where he met and married his first wife Barbara Close in 1961. Their first son Mark was born in Illinois where John finished his MS Degree in 1962. John and his family moved to Sacramento, CA where John worked for Aerojet General as a Development Engineer. Two other children, Mary Anne and Michael, were born in CA. In 1965, the family moved to Huntsville, AL, where John worked for the Rohm & Haas Redstone Research Laboratory as a Scientist. During this time, John was in charge of ""Helping Hands"", a non-profit organization that helped to improve ""sharecropper shacks"". John also ran the High School CCD program for two combined Catholic parishes. Two other children, Michelle and Marilyn, were born in Alabama. In 1969, John and the family returned to Illinois so that John could continue work on his doctorate in aero engineering. In 1971, the family moved to Bell Aire, MD so that John could work for the Army at the Aberdeen Ballistics Research Laboratory. His job there was a research engineer and he received numerous awards and patents while working there. In 1973, the family moved to Rising Sun, MD. While in MD, John was president of a local chapter of St Vincent de Paul. He also taught religious education courses for Good Shepard Catholic Parish, and helped many local Boy Scouts get various merit badges. In 1980, Dr. John took a position as Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the Villanova University, PA. The family moved to Paoli, PA and lived there until the children finished graduating from college. The most rewarding aspect of teaching were the Senior engineering projects dealing with Technology for Developing Nations ( ""Alternate Technology""). John and Barbara moved to Claymont, DE in 1989. During his teaching career, John also worked with the RCIA programs for numerous parishes in the Catholic Diocese of DE. John was also a member of NCCC, NCRS, and the Corvette Club of Northern DE. He was a technical judge for 8 years at the Divers Corvette Shows. For fun, John drove his 1968 Vette plus others cars, at Dover Downs, the north, east and full road courses at Pocono Raceway, Rockingham, Watkins Glenn, Road Atlanta, Summit Point, Mid-Ohio, the east and west tracks at Miller Motorsports Park, Sebring, two road courses at Las Vegas, Palm Beach International Raceway, and the road course at Daytona International Raceway. John's first wife Barbara died in July, 2000. John married Gloria Reinhardt of DE in Sept, 2001. He retired from Villanova in 2002 as Professor Emeritus. He and Gloria moved to Fort Mohave, AZ, so that they could be closer to John's parents who lived in Bull Head City, AZ. To escape the summer heat, he and Gloria bought a small home in La Pine, OR. They lived there for 4 -6 months during the summer. While in Arizona and Oregon, John helped at various St. Vincent de Paul Stores. John's mother died in 2006, so John and Gloria moved to North Port, FL. He and Gloria continued to go to Oregon for the summers until 2010. While living in Florida, John was active in activities at St Max Catholic Church. Also, he and Gloria were part-time painters for Habitat for Humanity for about 5 years, and served as cooks for Meals on Wheels at North Port. John is survived by a sister Mary Martha Moffet who lives in AZ/CA his great wife Gloria who took loving care of him, and his five super kids: Mark Majerus of Middletown, DE, Mary Anne Majerus-Lambert of Middletown, MD, Michael Majerus of OR, Michelle Schmidt of Henry, IL, and Marilyn Widman of Perrysburg, OH. Also surviving are 8 ""cool"" grandchildren: Keegan, Jacqueline, Christopher, Hanson, Zachary, Cara, Ogden, and John David. Also, there are three great grandchildren: Mia Elizabeth, Jase Theodore and Hunter Michael. A memorial mass will be held at 11:00AM on Thursday, July 23, 2015 at. St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, 1441 Spears Street, Port Charlotte, Florida. Inurnment was private at All Saints Cemetery in Newark, Delaware. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to North Port Meals on Wheels, 4285 Wesley Lane, North Port, Florida 34287. Farley Funeral Home in North Port is handling the arrangements. To send condolences please visit www.farleyfuneralhome.com. Service Information Date: Thursday, July 23, 2015 Time: 11:00 am St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church Address: 1441 Spear Street, , Port Charlotte, FL, | Map