October 17, 2020 - In cleaning out some emails I found the following to me from John 10/21/05 after our 40th reunion:
John was a great classmate and friend to many, I know he is missed and remembered, we can only hope he is resting in peace. lvr
July 12th our two classmates, Jim Burton and John Emerline, good friends for all these decades, were together off the coast of Emerald Isle, NC when Jim appeared to be having trouble in the water, John dove in to try to save him and both drowned. That area is well known for serious undertows; according to my cousin who lives there last year was one of the worst. We're all in shock. Jim was only with us sophomore and junior years then his family moved back to NC for his dad's career. Please see John's obituary here and I'll post Jim's below that. You can also see them on my Facebook page:
John
Carroll Emerline, 73, of Raleigh, NC passed on Sunday, July 12, 2020,
while doing what he loved, swimming in the Atlantic Ocean with his good
friend. He was born in Philadelphia, PA on May 13, 1947, son of the late John and Mildred (Suse) Emerline.
John
graduated from Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, MO in 1965. He
attended Southeast Missouri State University and Temple University and
was a proud alumnus of the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol in Wildwood
Crest, NJ.
John is survived by his wife of 50
years, Ingrid; their sons, Jason (Angie) of Raleigh, NC, Michael of
Dunedin, FL, and Joshua of Blowing Rock, NC; and grandchildren, Jensen
and Reagan Emerline of Raleigh, NC. He is also survived by sisters,
Johan Glembocki of Annandale, VA and Judy (Frank) Bertini of Annandale,
VA, as well as his sister in-law, Margo Froelich and niece, Terri
Mazzotta, Godmother, aunt Barbara Mondevergine of Philadelphia and
cousins.
John was a lifelong baseball fan, so much
so that in 1964 he hollowed out a book to hold his transistor radio to
clandestinely listen to the World Series while in school. John rarely
missed a Yankees game.
John moved his family to Raleigh in 1986 and later purchased Quality Business Machines, which he operated until his passing.
John
was an avid tennis player…regularly playing multiple times per week at
his favorite Seven Oaks Club. He won several doubles championships along
the way.
John was a master tinkerer who could fix
almost anything. There wasn’t an item around the house or office that he
wouldn’t try to fix, re-purpose, or recondition.
John
and Ingrid celebrated their 50th anniversary with a trip to Europe
(London, Paris and Normandy beaches, pictured above) in 2019.
When
he wasn’t playing tennis, John loved the beach and photography. His
favorite moments were spent in Emerald Isle with his family, soaking up
the sun and Southern Comfort while snapping photos of his beloved
granddaughters.
John was a loyal owner of several
German Shepherds throughout his life. In lieu of flowers, donations can
be made in memory of John to Freedom German Shepherd Rescue at https://www.freedomgermanshepherdrescue.org/ or a charity of your choice.
When he was not spending time on the golf course, he was enjoying time with his family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara Burton, and their daughters, Stephanie (Scott) Pendleton and Carrie (Jeff) Dunham and grandchildren, Tyler Pendleton, Max Pendleton and Davis Dunham, as well as Jim's brothers Mike (Nancy) Burton, Chuck (Sarah Newell) Burton and Bob (Wanda)Burton. A visitation will be held on Friday, July 17th from 4:00 -8:00 p.m. at Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home, 16901 Old Statesville Road, Huntersville, NC. Due to the NC Governor's Executive Order a Sign-Up Genius has been set up to control the number of people allowed in funeral home.https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A49ACAF2CA75-james . The memorial service will be held at 4:00 pm Saturday, July 18th, in the chapel of Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home. There are no restrictions on attendance for this event however, the service will be broadcast via Zoom Meeting,https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85915497132?pwd=OEFnaFpoZ2liSm90MFhRUHc5MDRIZz09
