Cover photo for John C. Ringel's Obituary
John C. Ringel Profile Photo
1941 John 2020

John C. Ringel

March 15, 1941 — January 4, 2020

Mechanicsburg

**UPDATE**

Services have been cancelled

Following a lengthy illness, John Carragher Ringel, 78, passed peacefully into the arms of Jesus at his home in Silver Spring Township.

Born March 15, 1941 in Long Island, NY, he was the son of the late Hans and Ellenmary (Carragher) Ringel, and was also preceded in death by his parents in law: Duayne and Betty Orner.

John worked as a milkman and warehouse manager, but most recently was the dairy manager at Giant. He always worked hard toward his main goal: to help put his beloved wife, Vicky, through nursing school.

Born and raised in New York, he moved his family to Mechanicsburg in 1999 to help care for his mother in law. A graduate of Mepham High School in Bellmore, NY, he was a wrestler and the school’s own “James Dean”. He enjoyed doo wop music and high school sock hops where he became such a good dancer he was often asked where he took lessons. As a member of a bowling league, he bowled a perfect game, earning him a "300" ring and a spot in the Bowler’s Hall of Fame. He was an avid football fan, especially the NY Giants and also rooted for the Mets and the Rangers. He never missed a Super Bowl Sunday and loved taking his kids to Shea Stadium to watch the Mets play. He also enjoyed taking trips to the Casinos in Atlantic City and Grantville, and loved the family vacations at his timeshare at Disney. John (also known as “Big Ol’ Bear” and “Pap”) loved Harry Potter movies (especially Hermione’s character), reading the paper and doing crossword puzzles. He was a stickler for grammar and spelling, and was still correcting mistakes right up to the day he passed away. Watching the birds in the backyard was a favorite pastime, as well as rigging up clever ways to prevent the squirrels from getting to the food in the birdhouses. Intelligent, sarcastic, and funny, John was more than anything a loving and supportive husband, father, brother, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend.

He was a member and former usher at Silver Spring Presbyterian Church, Mechanicsburg.

Surviving is his loving wife of over 41 years, Vicky (Orner) Ringel; his children: Barbara Ann Ashcraft (and Dennis), Queen Creek, AZ, John Ringel (and Linda), Hyde Park, NY, Eric Ringel (and Stacey), Deer Park, NY, Dawn DiOrio, Mechanicsburg, Jack Ringel (and Nicol Mesner), Fairfield, PA, Joanne Stoner (and Scott), Harrisburg, and Christina Ringel (and Chico Hawkins), Deltona, FL; 3 sisters: Mary Ellen Kreye (and Seigfried), Uniondale, NY, Martha Gagliano (and Louis), Colorado, and Susan Moran, Long Island; one brother: Dennis Ringel (and Barbara), Long Island; 17 grandchildren: John, Christina, Sean, Dayna, David, Nicole, Xavier, Kody, Lynn, Michael, Jack, Hans, Wally, Cameron, Jenny, Arianna, and Carter; 8 great grandchildren; many, many nieces and nephews; his dear friends: Jeff and Patty Epstein; his faithful pups: Bandit and Jack; and many other family members and friends, all of whom will miss him greatly.

No services will be held.

Kimmel Funeral Home, Harrisburg, is handling arrangements.

To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of John C. Ringel, please visit our flower store.

Service Schedule

Past Services

No services to be held

Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text. Standard text messaging rates apply.

Guestbook

Photo Gallery

Visits: 3

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Send Flowers

Send Flowers

Plant A Tree

Plant A Tree