Obituary of John Charles Hey, Sr.

John Charles Hey, Sr. went home to be with his Lord and Savior surrounded by his loving family on September 22, 2016. John was born July 6, 1935 in Philadelphia, PA, son of the late Charles P. Hey and Edyth Large. John graduated from Germantown High School in January 1953 authoring the commencement address for the ceremony. He went on to receive his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania where he was elected student president of the Moore School of Engineering three consecutive years. He then remained at the University of Pennsylvania and receive his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering under a NROTC scholarship. He was commissioned as an Ensign in the United States Navy and served in the Construction Battalion, “SeaBees” at Sandia, New Mexico. Leaving the U.S. Navy with the rank of Lieutenant, John began his civilian career with General Electric as a circuit design engineer with the Spacecraft Department at Valley Forge, PA. He went on through numerous promotions to hold positions of increasing responsibility from applications engineer, consulting engineer, applications engineering manager to market planning and customer engineering in the General Electric semiconductor business. He became a corporate officer for Acme Electric as a Vice President and General Manager. John moved on to Elgin Electronics subsidiary of Combustion Engineering as Senior Vice President and then President before retiring. John achieved many awards and recognitions during his professional career. He received an outstanding service citation from the Defense Atomic Support Agency while serving in the United States Navy. He received a Managerial Award while with General Electric and was also General Electric Technical Society Chairman. John was also acknowledged in Who’s Who in Technology and Who’s Who in the East. In addition, John was author of over 20 technical papers and editor of two industrial technical sourcebooks. John served in many organizations throughout his life, beginning with Boy Scouts of America where he achieved the rank of Life Scout and was chosen to be a member of the Order of the Arrow. He became a Freemason at age 21. John was a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He served on the Board of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce of Auburn, NY. John also served as Chairman and member of the Board of Directors for the United Way of Cayuga County, NY. He had served as a member of the Industrial Committee of the Erie Excellence Council and also as a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Erie, PA. John was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant where he served as an elder, Stephen's Minister, Koinonia candidate and sponsor, Footsteps advocate and Pastor Nominating Committee member. He served as board president of C.H.O.S.E.N Mission Project headquartered in Erie, PA. John leaves to cherish the love of his life, Ginnie with whom he was joined in holy matrimony on June 14, 1958. Other survivors include his daughters Caroline (Mark) McClendon and Christine (William) Marn, son Eric (Louise) and five grandchildren whom he adored; Julia Christine, Stephen Joseph, Eric Andrew, Isabella Elena and Natalie Elisabeth. John was preceded in passing by his beloved son, John Charles Hey, Jr., his parents, and sister, Edith Stevenson. John found great peace in the outdoors where he spent many hours tending his garden and orchards. Above all, he considered his greatest blessings his relationship with Jesus Christ and his relationship with his family, whom he adored. The family wishes to extend warm gratitude to Dr. Jack Yakish and his staff for their steadfast love and care provided to John over the years. Arrangements were handled by the Dusckas-Martin Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc. $216 Sterrettania Rd. In lieu of flowers his family requests donations be made to the C.H.O.S.E.N. Mission Project, 3638 W. 26th St. Erie, PA 16506 Family and friends are warmly welcome to celebrate John's life through a memorial service held at First Presbyterian Church of the Covenant located at 250 West 7th St. Erie, PA on Saturday October 1, 2016 at 10:00 AM.