John Peter Wahl

John Peter Wahl, age 94, passed away in his sleep August 3, 2026 in his home in North Port, Florida. Date of birth: July 9, 1932. Born in Vienna, Austria to Dr. Elemar J. Wahl M.D. and Elisabeth More Magdalena. Much of his childhood he spent living in Hungary.

John immigrated to the US during last part of World War 2 at the age of 12 having spent 6 months at a Red Cross camp in Geneva, Switzerland awaiting his visa. Just prior to that he spent time living in a refugee camp in “The American Zone” in the Bavarian region of Germany with vivid memories of the war as America and its allies advanced towards victory.

As a newly arrived immigrant he attended Cardinal Hayes Parochial High School in the Bronx, NY. He excelled in his studies and was later admitted to The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he earned a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering on June 11, 1954. While in ROTC at MIT he was awarded a commission into the US Army and served during the Korean War as a 1st Lieutenant in the Army Chemical Corps.

After completing military service his first job as a Chemical Engineer was with Shell Oil in Ventura, CA. He married to Matilda Rosa Darida on June 14, 1959 at Parish of Orleans in Louisiana. John and Matilda first settled in Westport, Connecticut where he took an engineering position with Dorr Oliver. He later worked for the precious metals company, Handy & Harman out of Fairfield, Connecticut where he would stay and ultimately retire from while living in Easton, Connecticut. John and Matilda retired to Florida in the early 90’s first living in Venice and then moving to North Port.

John was a warm-hearted, kind and loving husband, father, and grandfather who never spoke ill of others. He loved his pets, enjoyed stamp collecting, gardening, and was an avid reader, He was fluent in 6 languages including Latin, and semi-fluent in others as language study was a passion of his. A cultured man, he loved art in general and especially classical music. He played the violin with the North Port Orchestra, also performing with the Venice Orchestra. Additionally, he sang with the North Port Coral and also the Epiphany Cathedral choir in Venice where his service will occur.

John is survived by his wife of 67 years marriage, Matilda Wahl.

Children: Thomas Wahl (wife Rosalie) of Redding, CT, Elizabeth Wahl (Isam) of Bradenton, FL, and Robert Wahl (wife Krizstina) of Shelton, CT.

Grandchildren: Agnes Obrien, Elizabeth Tonn, Anthony Wahl, Tracey Wahl, Nicholas Wahl, Sami Araboghli, Sarah Connin, and Sylvia Wahl

Great Grandchildren: Caitlyn Obrien, Derek Obrien, and Miles Tonn

Service Information:

- Funeral Service will be held at Epiphany Cathedral in the Parish Hall (due to renovations), 310 Sarasota St, Venice, FL on August 10, 2026 from 11:00 am to 12:00PM

- Committal Service with military honors to be held at Sarasota National Cemetery, 9810 State Rd 72, Sarasota, FL on August 10, 2026 from 1:00 pm to 1:30pm.