John Edwin Longenderfer, 82, of Emmaus, died May 29, 2020. He was the husband of the late Carole Ann (Rapp) Longenderfer, with whom he shared 54 years of marriage. Born in Lancaster, he was the son of the late Abram and Elizabeth Longenderfer.

He proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy on a submarine tender, responsible for maintaining and repairing submarine sonar systems from 1957 to 1960.

He earned his degree from Franklin and Marshall in 1968. He worked for 41 years at Lutron Electronics and formally retired as president and CEO in 2010. Following his retirement, he went on to consult and provide leadership at Lutron for another 10 years.

He was actively involved with PBS Channel 39 for nearly two decades and recently served as chairman of the board. He focused on advancing essential public services in education, providing successful outcomes for children and promoting civic leadership across the region.

He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather and uncle. Throughout his life, he had a passion for music and history. He sang in many church choirs and loved to play the piano. Having visited over 30 countries, he enjoyed traveling, often with his family and a good book by his side. In 2019, he completed a goal of driving across the nation visiting many national monuments and parks.

He is survived by Sally Reeser, his loving companion; children, Wendy, of Macungie; Mark and his wife, Dana, of Richmond, Va.; Matthew and his wife, Carolyn, of West Chester; Gretchen Clay, wife of Shawn, of Allentown and Michael and his wife, Megan, of Breinigsville; grandsons, Nicholas, Jack and DeWolf; granddaughters, Katherine, Riley, Emily and Madison, Teresa and Samantha Clay, Sarah and Anna. He was predeceased by a brother Jim, of Lancaster.

Contributions may be made to PBS 39’s Lehigh Valley Reads initiative - a regional literacy campaign to ensure all Lehigh Valley students read on grade level by the end of third grade. www.lehighvalleyreads.org.

Funeral services are under the direction of the Stephens Funeral Home, Allentown with memorial services and burial at Zion Lehigh Evangelical Lutheran Church. Services are private and limited to immediate family due to current COVID-19 restrictions. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.