Sad News about John LaPolt

I was recently informed of the death of one of our classmates - John LaPolt. I was able to access John's obituary on the website of the Greeneville (TN) Sun. It seems that John was a man of many accomplishments. I believe that many of you may be interested in reading about John's life, so I am posting a copy of the obituary here in the class blog. If any of you have news of other classmates that would be of general interest, please email it to the class address, neclass57@yahoo.com, and I'll see that it gets posted for all to see.

Jim Schuttenberg
__________________________________________________

John Robert LaPolt

Published: 09/06/2008 in the Greeneville (TN) Sun

John Robert LaPolt, 68, of Greeneville, died Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at his home. Mr. LaPolt was born in Monticello, N.Y., and grew up in Springfield, Ohio, where he played numerous high school sports. His family moved to Wilmington, Del., where he worked as a laboratory technician at Avisun Corp. in nearby New Castle. During that time, his family said, he helped his widowed mother raise his youngest brother. He attended Wilmington College and in 1966 married Bernice Darsney, a co-worker at Avisun.

The family continued: "[He] became a self-taught expert in the plastics and colorants field and worked for some of the industry's biggest companies: Amoco in New Castle; Berwick Industries in Berwick, Pa.; and CPS industries in Franklin, Tenn. "[He] moved his family to Greeneville in 1979, when he took a job as extrusion manager at Plus Mark-American Greetings, and retired nearly two decades later as the company's ink specialist. "When he was in good health, [Mr. LaPolt] was an active member of Notre Dame Catholic Church and served as a Eucharistic minister. He was involved in the Knights of Columbus 6784, in which he served as financial secretary.

"His interests included watching historical documentaries, following University of Tennessee football, fixing automobiles, and spending time with his children and grandchildren. [His] family was the highlight of his life."

Survivors include his wife of 42 years, Bernice Darsney LaPolt; daughters and sons-in-law Alisa and Chris Snow of Tallahassee, Fla.; Mary and Scott Wood of Atlanta, Ga.; a son, James Garrett LaPolt of Orlando, Fla.; daughter Carrie LaPolt Harris of Greeneville; grand-children Hannah and Emily Wood of Atlanta, Ga.; Gavin and Kendyl Cate of Greeneville; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 5-8 p.m. Sunday at Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home. Funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Notre Dame Catholic Church. The Revs. John Appian, Charles Burton and William Casey will officiate.

He was preceded in death by his father, William Stanley LaPolt, his mother Margaret Lewis LaPolt; and three brothers, William, Thomas and Richard LaPolt. Members of the Knights of Columbus will serve as honorary pallbearers. Friends and family are invited to attend. Interment will be private.

The family requests that those wishing to make memorial gifts direct them to the American Heart Association and the Notre Dame Catholic Church Building Fund.