John M. Warfel

John Martin Warfel, 90, formerly of Maidencreek Township, passed away on August 21, 2025, in Rome, NY. Born and raised in Fagleysville, PA, he was the son of John Emanuel Warfel and Farrah Dean Warfel and brother of the late Mima Sue (Hollowbush) Warfel and the late Helen (Weller) Warfel. John grew up on his family farm until age 14. His family then moved to a new home in New Hanover Township, Montgomery County.

John attended a one-room schoolhouse through the seventh grade, until its closure. He continued his education at Boyertown High School in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, starting in the eighth grade and graduating in 1953. He went on to earn an associate's degree in technology from Temple University Technical School, graduating in 1956.

Soon after graduation, he married Nelda M. Schoenly. Together, they had a son, Brian (Margret), and a daughter, Jennifer (Mark Turrell).

After earning his associate's, John was employed by Burroughs Corporation as a technician on the US Air Force's SAGE system, one of the largest computer installations of the time. He was responsible for computer maintenance and training of military personnel. While stationed in Osceola, WI, he took flying lessons on an Air Force trainer, earning a private pilot license after only eight hours of instructions. FAA rules were a minimum of 40 hours instructions.

John worked throughout the country at locations such as Chicago, Vermont, Long Island, and Caribou, ME. He was promoted to Field Engineer, the youngest ever for Burroughs. He was then assigned to several US Air Force ocean structures, including Texas Towers, 100 miles off Nantucket. A massive hurricane damaged the structure and a rescue was not possible. A few weeks later, a 50 knot wind sank the structure, killing 28 men, only one of which was ever found. John was evacuated along with approximately 90 others just days before this disaster.

While working for Burroughs, he either cancelled or missed his airline reservations on three different occasions. Each plane crashed, killing most passengers.

In 1965, John started a private data processing school, Computer Educational Institute, in Center City, Philadelphia. Within a very short two years, it became the premier private school in the east. The school's graduates filled positions in many area businesses in the relatively new science. One business, Conrail, the largest railroad stationed in Philadelphia, hired over 200 graduates of CEI.

It was in Philadelphia where he met and married Barbara A. Koran-Cortellessa. Barbara had four children: William (Kathy), James, Gregory and the late Diane. They moved to Birdsboro, PA, and were married for 17 years until Barbara died at age 47 of cancer in 1986.

In 1976, after a neighbor in Birdsboro lost his home to a fire due to a fire company dispatch error, he founded the HELP System. The program used a system of grid maps and HELP numbers to pinpoint the exact location of every building in a township. He and his son, Brian, operated the company for 35 years, installing the program in almost every township in Berks, Schuylkill, Sullivan, and some areas of surrounding counties.

In 1990, he met and married Heather A. Dahl, of Reading, PA. They moved to Flying Hills and in 1999 moved to their new home in the beautiful Endless Mountains of Sullivan County.

John's interests were varied: Pennsylvania history during the revolution through the late 1800s, hunting, photography (winning several awards), motorcycle travel racking up over 500,000 miles and shooting sports where he won several national events. He spent many hours at piano where he loved to play interpretive jazz. He was also a member of the IMPH and the Knights of Columbus.

His greatest love (after his family, of course) was his dog, Sully. He said Sully was the only dog that could have graduated from Harvard if he wanted, but Sully was a staunch Republican and refused to apply.

A prayer service will be held on Friday, August 29, 2025, at 11AM at Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home, 739 Penn Avenue, West Reading. Family and friends will be received from 10:00 to 11:00 AM, followed by burial at Forest Hills Memorial Park, Exeter Township.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial contribution in John's honor to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation at https://give.bcrf.org/.

Edward J. Kuhn Funeral Home is honored to serve the Warfel family. Condolences may be written online at KuhnFuneralHomes.com.