John Clark Lorenz

John Clark Lorenz of Chestertown, MD, passed away on Saturday, May 23, 2020, in Heron Point. He was 96. He is survived by his wife of almost 67 years, Marjorie Kathryn (Scharf); his children, Elizabeth (Wade) Foraker of Newark, DE, Andrew of Magnolia, DE, Thomas (Deborah) of York, PA, and Richard (Amy) of Millington, MD; grandchildren, Wade Jr. (Ardella), Tara (Alex) Kobetis, Adam (Courtney), Aaron, Abigail, Alexander, and great-grandchildren, Olivia Foraker and Axel Kobetis. John was born in Coshocton, OH, on June 11, 1923. He was raised with his younger sister, Mary Margaret (Smailes), deceased, in Coshocton by Clyde and Estella (Clark) Lorenz. During his school years, John learned to play the cornet and he was active in Boy Scouts, ultimately obtaining his Eagle Scout award. After graduating from high school, John was accepted at the Carnegie (then) Institute for Technology. Not quite halfway through his freshman year, he was drafted for service in the U.S. Army. Following his training in New York City, he was shipped to a small base in New Guinea. He served on the island from 1944 until the Japanese surrender in late 1945. After returning home, John finished his undergraduate education at Carnegie Tech and then he continued on to complete his PhD in chemistry at the University of Illinois. The DuPont Company in Wilmington, DE, then hired him and he worked there for 31 years. Early in his career John enjoyed playing his cornet in the DuPont Concert Band, met and married Marjorie, and settled in a home in Newark, DE. A little later, John moved his growing family to Hockessin, DE, where he lived until his retirement in 1982. He spent much of his free time involving himself with his children in their education, in outdoor activities and on trips around the U.S. John and Marjorie then retired to a home and tract of land along the Chester River near Chestertown, MD. Here John enjoyed gardening, hunting, fishing, sail boating, bird watching and get-togethers with family and friends. He also went on many trips with Marjorie across the U.S. and abroad. John was a member of the American Chemical Society and the Maryland Ornithological Society. A little more than 20 years later, John moved with his wife to an apartment at Heron Point, a retirement community in Chestertown, and they lived there until the end of his life. John was always a man of few words, reserved, but highly respected and loved by all. The family would like to thank all the employees at Heron Point for their loving care of “Mr. John.” There will be a private service and burial. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in John’s memory to any local food bank.

John Clark Lorenz

June 11, 1923 - May 23, 2020