John M. Thounhurst

John M. Thounhurst, 85, passed away on September 24, 2024, at Mulberry Square Elder Care and Rehabilitation Center in Punxsutawney, PA.

He was born on August 6, 1939, to John and Edith (Bucci) Thounhurst of Avonmore, PA.

John married the love of his life, Mary E. (Crawford) Thounhurst, whom he met in college, in 1963, and they have spent a wonderful 61 years together. John went to high school in Indiana, PA, where he played varsity football and intermural volleyball, basketball, and softball. He attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania (then Indiana State Teachers’ College) and later obtained a Master’s Equivalent degree in Education in the Midwest. He was a member of the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity in Indiana. John taught chemistry, geometry, and other subjects primarily at East Allegheny High School in the suburbs of Pittsburgh. 

John loved duck and deer hunting with his friends and travelling to Canada with his family to go fishing on the French River, where he and Mary had their honeymoon. John was a skilled craftsman and spent a lot of time at home working on a multitude of projects. He also enjoyed watching the wildlife of Oliver Twp and gardening fruit and garlic. John had an amazing memory of the music of the 1950s and 1960s and was known to burst into song at any given moment. In later life in particular, he enjoyed reminiscing with family about their hijinks growing up in Westmoreland and Indiana Counties and about outdoor adventures.

John is survived by his wife, Mary; a daughter, Kimberly; a son, John (Iris); older sister Rose Ann; younger sister Trudy (Andy) Filipek; younger brother, Tom (Debby); a niece, Sarah (Jeff) Filipek, and their children (John and Peyton); and a nephew, Anthony (Jacki) and their daughter, Abigail.

John was preceded in death by his parents.

Services will be private and have been entrusted to McCabe Funeral Home, Inc., 114 Maple Avenue, Punxsutawney, PA 15767.