Obituaries
Obituary for John R. Kimock
John R. "Johnny" Kimock, 87, of Whiehall, died July 13, 2014 in Fellowship Manor, Whitehall. He was a lifelong resident of the Village of Stiles and was the son of the late John J. and Mary I. (Malast) Kimock. His eldest daughter, Theresa Maria, passed away during the night of December 25, 2005. He was formerly married to Theresa M. (Schwartz) Kimock. He was a graduate of Whitehall High School, Class of 1944, where he played baseball and basketball. He attended Heidelberg University in Germany. He was the Property Accountant and Manager of Office Services for Air Products and Chemicals, Trexlertown. He was an administrator of Student Affairs at Kutztown University and retired from the World Headquarters of Mack Trucks as a Buyer/Planner in 1987. He served in the army as a Staff Sergeant with the 109th Combat Engineer Battalion, 7th Army, along with the Army of Occupation in Germany. He served with General Eisenhower's Special Assignment projects in France during the Korean War. He was a Past-President of the West Coplay Maennerchor and a life member of VFW Post 7293, Egypt; the V.G. Kern Veterans Association, Schnecksville and the American Legion Post #426, Coplay. He was a first baseman and MVP on Coplay's first American Legion State Championship baseball team in 1942. He also played baseball for various town teams and played semi-pro baseball for Vera Cruz, Limeport, and Lansdale. He played in the farm systems of the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburg Pirates, and the former St. Louis Browns. He refereed basketball on the high school, college and professional levels for 35 years. He refereed the Harlem Globetrotters and Harlem Magicians games played at Rockne Halla and referred the Harlem Globetrotters game played in the Olympic Stadium, Berlin, Germany, before a world record attendance for a basketball game, in excess of 75,000 fans in 1951. He coached the Combat Engineers championship basketball team in Mannheim, Germany in 1951-1952. He refereed post level basketball and umpired post level baseball as a member of the European Command Athletic Officials Association. He managed the baseball team at Fort Bragg, North Carolina in 1950. He was part-owner, Secretary, Director of Publicity and Public Address Announcer for the Allentown Jets of the Eastern Professional Basketball Assoc. He was Service Electric TV's first play-by-play basketball announcer. John was a spring training Special Assistant in Arizona for the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Diego Padres baseball teams. He was a lifetime member of the PIAA and a member of the College Board of Officials. He was a Past-President of the Lehigh Valley Basketball Officials Assoc. He was an avid golfer in the Mack Trucks Engineering and Management Leagues. In 2000, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania American Legion Sports Hall of Fame and in 2003, inducted into the Whitehall-Coplay School District Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a member of St. Peter's Catholic Church, Coplay. Survivors: Former, wife, Theresa; son, John T. and wife Mary ; daughter, Veronica M. Schreiter; granddaughters, Haley and Staci Kimock; grandson, Nicholas Schreiter. Services: 10:00 a.m., Thursday, July 17, 2014, Robert A. Hauke Funeral Home, 327 Chestnut St., Coplay, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:30 a.m. St. Peter's Catholic Church, 4 S. Fifth St., Coplay. Viewing from 9 to 10:00 a.m., Thursday in the funeral home. Interment, St. Peter's Catholic Cemetery, Whitehall. Contributions: In lieu of flowers to St. Peter's Catholic Church c/o the funeral home 18037.
Read More
To plant a tree in memory of John R. Kimock, visit the Tribute Store.
Loading...