John Raymond Edelbrock
Updated: 6/8/2026 11:43:14 PM By: msheldon
John Edelbrock passed away suddenly on September 10, 2015, after a brief illness, with his wife of 26 years. Donna Wood at his side .
In addition to his wife, Donna, he leaves behind his stepmother, Elizabeth Edelbrock, Donna’s mother, sister and brother and their spouses. John is also survived by numerous cousins, two nieces and an extraordinary number of friends who were considered family.
He will be missed by his beloved dogs, Jazz and Sally.
John served in the United States Army as an Army diver. His Tour of Duty was from 1970 until 1973. During which he was trained for this military specialty as a Diver. The field of Diver is normally reserved for those members of the Navy. It is a very limited field for which the Army has a few slots. John was one of those individuals that could take a difficult scenario as that was and excelled in it in every thing he did. He exceeded as an Army Diver as he had an extremely durable mentality and was a very strong swimmer. During his service in the Army he was stationed in Germany and was accepted to serve on Temporary Duty for a position as a member of the “famed” Army Ski and Water Patrol, or Army Ski Team at the Armed Forces Recreation Center, in Berchtesgaden W. Germany.
John was stationed in Berchtesgaden from May 1972 until his discharge in May 1973 and earned during his tour of duty the following awards for service rendered; -
-National Defense Service Medal; Army Achievement Medal; Army Commendation Medal, Overseas Service Medal;-Army Good Conduct Medal;
John’s assignment to Berchtesgaden was extremely rare in that it accepted only a limited amount of Soldiers and Airmen. These positions were later forced to use other personnel in the mid 1980s and hired civilians later due to fill vacancies; due to Senator Aspin’s budgetary regulations.
After his discharge from the Army in 1973, John stayed in Europe and attended the Institute for European Studies, at the University of Vienna, Austria. After completion in 1976, he moved back to the Fairfax, Virginia, United States, and attended and received his MBA from the College of William and Mary, Virginia.
During this time John accepted a position in Management as a Sales Manager & later in Senior Sales Management with AT&T.
After working for over 20 years in Management with AT&T, John retired from that position and embarked on his second career as a financial advisor. He established Chesapeake Pension Group LLC, where he worked until his recent death. John will be remembered for many things but most of all for his joyful attitude, strong personality and helpful sprit.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial gifts to Friends of Homeless Animals (FOHA) or a charity of choice.