On June 16, 2021, John J. Maerz, Sr., age 91, of Fallston, Maryland passed away. He was the beloved husband of the late Mary Jo Maerz (nee Gummer) of 66 years; devoted father of the late John J. Maerz, Jr. and his wife Wendy, Barbara Anne Maerz, Robert F. Maerz and his wife Jeanne, and the late Michael G. Maerz and his surviving wife Cheryl; loving grandfather of Kelly A. Pattison and her husband Chris, John J. Maerz, III and his wife Mandy, Michael J. Maerz and Matthew J. Maerz; and dear great grandfather of Brady and Brycen Maerz. Also survived by many nieces and nephews.
John was born in Baltimore and grew up in the Belair/Edison area in northeast Baltimore where he was raised in a large extended family with his father and brother and many great aunts and uncles to care for him. He attended grade school at The Shrine of the Little Flower and upon graduation he was a student at St. Charles Seminary in Catonsville for a year before transferring and graduating from Loyola High School in 1948. After High School, John held several positions with Crown Cork & Seal, Intercoastal Corporation, and other local companies.
In 1952, he married Mary Jo Gummer. As they began to start a family, life got busy. John began classes at Johns Hopkins University, receiving his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry after 12 years of night school with a young family of four children all under the age of 12. John was a member of the Air National Guard Reserves during the Korean War from 1953-1956. The family lived in Hamilton for many years where they had many friends and neighbors that remained close throughout their lives.
In 1968, the family moved to Fallston, Harford County (in that time it was referred to as “the country”). For many years after the move to “the country”, John worked as a senior chemist at Gibson Homens (Rosedale) where he had to commute into Baltimore every day but felt it was a small price to pay as he loved living in Harford County. John was active at St. Mark Church and spent many years with the Boy Scouts (Fallston Troop 397) where he served as treasurer, awards council member, and coordinated many troop activities, Jamborees and Award Ceremonies. His most proud memories were supporting and seeing two of his sons achieve their Eagle Scout Rank Award.
In his later years, he worked as an Industry Consultant, providing advisory services for many corporations and companies that he worked alongside over his career and was recognized as an expert in his field. As a retired senior, John worked at Fallston Pharmacy delivering medications and other pharmaceutical products throughout Harford and Baltimore Counties as well as Baltimore City.
John was the Patriarch of the family. He was a loving and devoted husband; married to Mary Jo for 66 years (until her death in 2018) and raised 4 children. He was a father figure to many cousins and children’s friends spending many holidays, birthdays and summer fun eating crabs and shrimp on the back deck. John was also active in his grandchildren’s and great grandchildren’s activities (little league baseball games, high school sports, science fairs, and other school activities). John was a very generous and conscientious man, contributed to numerous organizations both religious and secular, always looking to support their activities and advance their efforts.
John loved his Baltimore sports teams: a devoted Orioles fan (even in the years that they did not do so well); a true die-hard Colts fan until they left Baltimore but extended that passion to the Ravens and was always looking forward to the next Super Bowl. He enjoyed watching horse racing (especially the Triple Crown races) and was known to place a bet now and again. John was an avid gardener and known to have a green thumb. He also was an active investor and enjoyed following the business events of the day.
John loved telling stories of his youth and life experiences and he was best known for his infectious good-spirt and pleasant smile. He was a man of faith and believed in “Family First”. Proud of his children’s accomplishments and always there to support them, listen, and provide advice if needed. He loved his beer, crabs, and steamed shrimp. He loved his home and living in Harford County.
Relatives and friends may gather at Schimunek Funeral Home of Bel Air, Inc. 610 W. MacPhail Rd. Bel Air, MD 21014, on Tuesday July 27, 2021, from 2-4 and 6-9 PM. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Mark Catholic Church 2407 Laurel Brook Rd. Fallston, MD 21047 Wednesday July 28, 2021, at 10:30 AM. Interment Bel Air Memorial Gardens. Online tributes may be left at www.schimunekfuneralhomes.com. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org and St. Mark Church in Fallston, Maryland at www.saintmarkfallston.org.
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