John Woodrow Kilhefner

John Woodrow Kilhefner, 91, passed away on May 31, 2013. John is survived by his wife, Hannah; his children Jesse, Samuel, Kevin, Brenda, Freddy, and Johnny; daughter-in-law, Pauline; son-in-law, Duane; his siblings, Betty, Raymond, and Allegra; his grandchildren Bonnie (husband Jim), Susan, Elizabeth (husband Michael), Taylor, Charlotte, and Julissa; his great-grandchildren, Brynn, Eleanor, Kyle, and Jesse; and a host of other relatives who love him. He was preceded in death by four brothers, William, Leo, Harry, and Fred, and a sister, Phoebe. John lived an amazing life and was many things to many people. John was born in Pennsylvania to the late Fred and Annie Kilhefner. He was a veteran of WWII, where he served as a gunner's mate in the Navy. He studied commercial art and cartooning, which led him to a gig cartooning for the United Auto Worker's Union at his job at General Electric. He then joined the labor union at Rutgers University where he spent the next 3 years until he took an assignment in Africa to work as a labor educator for the African American Labor Center. He spent 18 years in Africa educating others, teaching tools of democracy. This serves as simply a snapshot of all he accomplished. He was a loving father and wonderful human being. He cherished his friends and spoke of them often--those from childhood and beyond. He loved his family, football, people, and animals. He loved Tom T. Hall, Kitty Wells, MASH, and 12 Angry Men. Bill Mauldin was his hero. He spoke often of the Culpeper High School Football team--he spent many nights cheering them on. He spoke fondly of members of the Culpeper Police Department. He loved taking his walks around the town of Culpeper and the many people he came to know. His stories were mesmerizing, his smile infectious, and he is dearly missed. A graveside service will be held at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA with military honors.