John R. Eckenrode, Jr.

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that John R. Eckenrode Jr. went home to be with the Lord on May 20, 2026. He is survived by his wife Pamela A. Eckenrode, his daughter Amanda Kay Yates and her husband Jeffrey R. Yates, and his grandson Brady Lukah Yates. He is preceded in passing by his father, John R. Eckenrode, Sr. and his mother Rachel Wantz Eckenrode.

He was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, attended and graduated from Emmittsburg High School in Emmittsburg, Maryland where he resided most of his adolescent life. During this time, John developed his love of engines, cars, and going fast. He spent his time working on his car and trying to find any way to make it go faster.

Immediately after high school John joined the United States Marine Corps. He started his military career in Paris Island, South Carolina before being deployed to serve his country in Vietnam. He rose to the rank of Sergeant during his service. Upon his exit from the Marine Corps, he joined the Marine Reserves and continued to serve for another six years. Once that was over he then joined the Army National Guard to continue serving his country proudly. For years after his active service ended, he would attend ceremonies to honor those brothers lost at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He had a love for his country like none other.

After his service to his country, John attended Georgia Tech University to pursue a degree in architecture, but had to leave early in order to care for his family after the death of his grandfather. It was at this time that he began working for Westinghouse in 1971. During his time off from work, he continued to nurture that love of cars and racing. He retrieved the Corvette that he left in the garage when he went to Vietnam and began work modifying it to make it competitive on the drag strip. He met lots of amazing drag racers at the dawn of their careers, and watched them grow into some of the greats that he watched on television for years after he gave up the fast lane to settle down and begin a family. He continued his work there through the transition from Westinghouse to Schindler and finally retired in 1996.

His love of US History was evident throughout his life. John dedicated a large portion of his time to educating others about the realities of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars through living history reenactments throughout the Eastern United States. In the Civil War reenactments, he led one of the most authentic Southern units from Virginia as their 1st Sergeant. The group of men spent hours researching the men that they portrayed to ensure that their interactions were as historically accurate and authentic as possible. Through this dedication and commitment to their imparting of knowledge, the 13th Virginia, Company K unit was invited to take part in the filming of the movie “Gettysburg” alongside some of the silver screen elites like Martin Sheen, Sam Elliott, and Steven Lang.

After leaving Schindler, he and his wife became partners in a watersports business that called the family to Marathon, an island in the Florida Keys. There he became a boat captain, guiding families and friends on diving and snorkeling trips to the reef off of the Atlantic Coast line. He also managed and maintained a fleet of watersport vehicles. John was always ready to do what would provide a better life for his family so, a year later, when a new opportunity arose, and after another leap of faith, the family moved to Central Florida where Pam and John opened a new business specializing in window treatments. Together, they provided a variety of interior decor, anything from blinds to gorgeous draperies and designs for the windows of many homes throughout Central Florida.

After September 11th, when the building of new homes and construction slowed, John and Pam knew that they needed to find something new in order to continue to provide and support their family. At the same time, their daughter was going through a series of surgeries that they truly believed could have been prevented had it been known that a lot of issues with the knees can come from an improper gait or support for the feet. Once again, John and Pam followed God’s guidance and leapt in faith. They attended Temple University’s College of Podiatric Medicine to become licensed pedorthists and opened their new business, Footwear by Design. For twenty years they have served people throughout the country that needed help by building custom corrective orthotics. John remained heavily involved and ran the lab at Footwear by Design until his health declined and forced his retirement in 2023.

John has led an extraordinary life, reinventing himself time and time again, but of all of the roles and responsibilities he has had, there were two that he took the most seriously, and those were his roles as a father and grandfather. John loved his daughter and grandson immeasurably. He made sure that Brady would grow into a kind, respectful, and intelligent young man. Brady is a new Junior in high school maintaining a near 5.0 GPA, an athlete, a dedicated FFA member, and has aspirations of becoming a livestock veterinarian, and he is well on his way in doing so. This was the accomplishment that John was most proud of.

John Eckenrode was a man like no other and anyone who met him knew three important things; he loved the Lord, he loved his country, and he loved his family. Although the family is deeply saddened by this loss, their faith has assured them, with confidence, that they will be together again in heaven. At this time the family wishes to respect and honor the life of this great man, but also celebrate his being pain free and fully restored in heaven.

In lieu of flowers, John would have wanted donations to two non-profit organizations that were near and dear to his heart. These can be sent to either Pet Rescue by Judy in Sanford, FL or the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, which supports military children needing finances to seek higher education.

To share your memories of John or to leave a special message for is family online please visit the guestbook below.