John Elkan

John B. Elkan, 86, of Cobleskill, passed on November 20, 2013 at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. Born in Dusseldorf, Germany, his family moved to Vineland, NJ when John was 13.

He graduated from Vineland HS and served in the Army as a Paratrooper from 1945 to 1946. He earned his degree in Animal Husbandry from the Long Island Agriculture and Technology Institute (now SUNY College) in Farmingdale, NY.

In 1949, he married Joanne Gilmore in Westtown, PA. Their children, Carol, Michael, David and Joel, were born in Cobleskill while the family resided in Seward. He was a resident and promoter of Schoharie County since 1956, after moving from his family's farm in Fly Creek, near Cooperstown.

First a dairyman and area sales manager for the American Breeders Service, John was hired in 1967 by the National Commercial Bank and Trust Company ("The Bank"), as a Farm Representative and became Vice President and Branch Manager during 23 years and an acquisition by Key Bank, NA. John retired in 1990.

John's volunteer service was varied and committed, among them: participation with several Cobleskill and Schoharie County community development initiatives; Big Brothers/Big Sisters; Rotary Club; Schoharie County Music Festival; Iroquois Indian Museum; Literacy Volunteers; Schoharie County ARC; Meals on Wheels; Office for the Aging; Cobleskill United Methodist Church Food Pantry; board membership for SUNY Cobleskill and the Cobleskill Regional Hospital. John was the first recipient of the TJ Star award in 1993.

He is survived by his wife Joanne, whom he married on March 12, 1949; daughter: Carol (husband Ron, daughter Brandy, sons David and Randy) Ripple of St. Petersburg, FL ; three sons: Michael (wife Maryanne, son Daniel and daughter Katie) of East Amherst, NY, David (wife Karen, sons Christopher and Scott, daughter Nicole) of Kingston, NY and Joel Elkan of Albany, NY; brother: Paul (sons Paul, Alex and Peter, daughter Natalie) of Cooperstown, NY; sister-in-law: Deborah (daughters Dina and Judy) of New York, NY; and 7 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 30th at the Cobleskill Methodist Church on 107 Chapel St at 2:00 pm, followed by a reception at the Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the following organizations in John's memory:

Schoharie County Office for the Aging; Food Pantry at the Cobleskill United Methodist Church; Cobleskill Regional Hospital.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Mereness-Putnam Funeral Home, Cobleskill and Palmer & Shaylor Funeral Home, Middleburgh.