1st Lt. John T. Stelzer

[ironputts]

November 5, 2024

1st Lt. John T. Stelzer
Columbus Senior Squadron
Ohio Wing

John Stelzer, age 55, of Westerville, Ohio, was born in Lima, Ohio on March 30, 1969, to Doris and John Stelzer. He graduated fifth in the Wapakoneta, Ohio class of 1987, where he was a member of the Math Club and won the award as the second smartest person in the state of Ohio in Algebra in 1985, one of his greatest achievements.

He was on the college twenty-five year plan, entering the LeTourneau University in Longview, TX in 1989, after a year in the Virginia Tech Cadet Corps, where they taught him to shine his shoes and make his bed, among other noble pursuits, only to realize his future did not lie within the military. He then took a furlough year to work in a factory, installing carpet in cars on an assembly line, when he saved his money and was admitted to LeTourneau only to find after one year that his financial advisor had spent John's savings on comic books.

Joining the workforce as a temporary worker, it didn't take long for John's natural leadership skills to emerge. Before much time, he was managing the temporary workers, a job which eventually led him to hiring temporary workers for Bank One. Fast forward several years and he was working for Bank One, quickly rising into management. After twenty years, he returned to school and graduated from LeTourneau in 2014 with a degree in business management, an achievement of which he was extremely proud.

He was a Vice President at JPMorgan Chase where he worked for 27 years in multiple roles in Asset and Wealth Management. He was known for making work a fun place and considered many of the people there family.

His passion for the Air Force, flying, and volunteering led him to Civil Air Patrol where he was a Captain and Deputy Commander of a Search and Rescue Squadron as well as an Emergency Services Trainer for the Ohio Wing.

He attended the Northwest Christian Church in Upper Arlington, Ohio where he enjoyed the invigorating conversations of Sunday School and was a member of the choir and sound team. He believed deeply in forgiveness and redemption and loved nothing more than sharing his belief in extraordinary grace.

He loved traditions and grand gestures, always looking for opportunities to create memories. He looked forward to annual excursions of apple picking and Christmas tree hunting. His greatest joy was spending a day in his beloved woods with his boys.

John will be remembered for his deep love and commitment to those lucky enough to be his family and friends. He looked for opportunities to help others and was able to fix just about anything other than electrical problems, when Jake would humbly step in to help. He had the ability to make light of bad and stressful situations, a trait he passed down to his boys.

To say he will be missed is an understatement of great proportions. He was humble and proud, smart and ridiculously scatterbrained, stubborn and generous. A man of many dichotomies.

Survived by sons Jonathan and Jacob, stepchildren Matthew, Emma, Caitlyn, and Anaiah, and sisters Corrinna Houston and Sarah (Michael) DeSimone. Preceded in death by his parents Doris Brown Stelzer and John Thomas Stelzer.