OBITUARY FOR JOHN JACOB KRONEBUSCH
John Jacob Kronebusch, age 77, of Woodbridge, Virginia moved into God’s loving arms on Sunday, November 8, 2020 at the University of Virginia Hospital.
John’s funeral Mass is scheduled for Thursday, November 19 at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church (14160 Ferndale Road) celebrated by Father Jack O’Hara with the Gospel and homily shared by our family friend Deacon Jerry Moore.
Visitation is one hour prior to Mass in the Father Creedon Room at the church. Social distancing and masks will be required at the service.
John was a selfless, loving, humble, giving, and hard-working Christian husband, father, brother, uncle, and grandpa. John was born on September 28, 1943 to Sylvester and Delores Kronebusch in Austin, Minnesota.
During his youth, John acquired his love for gardening and his green thumb from his dad and mom working with them in the garden and enjoying the fresh produce at their table; spending summers working on relatives’ farms deepened his love of the land. As the first-born, he tried his best to be a good example for his younger sister and brothers.
John earned degrees in Mathematics at St. Mary’s College in Winona, MN, BS, Class of 1965, Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL, MS, Class of 1967, and participated in doctoral research in Information Science and Mathematics at the University of Pittsburgh.
While serving as a tutor/mentor at Pittsburgh Tutoring School, John met the love of his life, Mary Catherine (Cathy) James. They married in Pittsburgh, PA in August 1971. John and Cathy moved to northern Virginia over Thanksgiving weekend 1974 where he began his professional career at the Institute of Defense Analysis (IDA) and began to grow their family.
John spent the last 40 years of his career working as an analyst for the Drug Enforcement Administration and Nuclear Regulatory Commission, together with his colleagues at headquarters and in the field keeping people safe by educating businesses, enabling regulatory compliance and reducing opportunities for criminal misconduct. For the last 40 years, he also educated the youth of our community in Algebra as a part-time instructor at Northern Virginia Community College.
John’s joys were his family, his church and his garden. He served his faith as a 3rd degree knight of The Knights of Columbus. He celebrated his family by hosting many recreational activities for all to enjoy. He enjoyed the fruits of his labor with lettuce sandwiches fresh from his garden. His favorite pastime was rising before dawn and casting his fishing line into the headwaters of the Mississippi as a youth and Deep Creek or Smith Mountain Lakes on family vacations.
He is now in God’s House, a place of peace and love. Blessed be his memory.
John is survived by his loving and large extended family including his wife Cathy of 49 years, his son Joben and daughter-in-law Marie, his daughter MariSara and son-in-law Jason Butts, his sister Joann, brothers Paul (Br. Joseph, OSCO) and Michael Kronebusch and his four dearly loved grandchildren, Madeline, Peter and Luke Kronebusch and Katelyn Butts who serve as his pallbearers.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be offered in John’s name to University of Virginia Health Foundation, Knights of Columbus, or Holy Family Catholic Church.
UVA Health Foundation:
“Gift is in memory of John Kronebusch – Hematology Sundry Gifts (allocation #4085)”
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 37963
Boone, Iowa 50036-4963
Knights of Columbus:
John Paul I Charity Corporation, 12965 Trentdale Dr. Dale City, VA 22195
Holy Family Catholic Church:
14160 Ferndale Road, Dale City, VA 22193
