John Modla

John Modla of Hockessin, DE, passed away on June 18, 2025, surrounded by family. He was the son of the late John and Florence (Sheppeck) Modla and was predeceased by his sister, Bernice Stachokus.

John was born on June 11, 1948, and raised in the coal-mining town of Nanticoke, PA.  In his youth, he was a kid left to his own devices.  He recounted stories of hitchhiking with friends to the reservoir, exploding sticks of dynamite in the cemetery, making homemade bombs from chemicals his mother bought for his “chemistry set”, and rolling flaming tires down hills to scare passersby.  It is remarkable that he made it to adulthood.  Despite his youthful indiscretions, he attended Kings College where he majored in physics and later earned a PhD at Lehigh University.  John met his late wife, Shannon M. Modla while working at Crown Zellerbach in Camas, Washington.  John and Shannon married on May 28, 1981, and nine months later had their daughter, Shannon. After moving to Delaware, John worked at the DuPont Experimental Station as a research physicist for over 30 years before retiring.

John was a loving, caring, and generous man with a silly sense of humor.  He enjoyed gardening and was proud of his 8 ft tall tomato plants.  John traveled the country with his wife and daughter, and together they shared many memorable adventures. He loved going over-the-top on holiday celebrations and much to the chagrin of his wife, always managed to find the biggest, fattest Christmas tree.  John was a devoted husband and cared tirelessly for his wife during her decades-long battle with multiple sclerosis.  Through her entire struggle with the disease, he never left her side.

John is survived by his daughter and two stepchildren and their spouses – Shannon Modla (Megan) of Wilmington, DE, and Mike Ludwig (Jen) and Julie Taie (Darren) of Camas, WA. He is also survived by four grandchildren - Olivia Puzzo, Sean Dennis, Camden Ludwig, and Hudson Ludwig of Camas, WA, and his sisters Mary Ann Skordinski and her husband Eugene of Sheatown, PA and Irene Rood and her husband Allen of Zionsville, PA.

Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service on Friday, June 27th at 5:00pm at Greenbank Mill, 500 Greenbank Rd., Wilmington, DE 19808. Donations in the memory of John can be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

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