From Lisa Kroon, John Kroon’s daughter, comes some sad news to the San Diego Section of IEEE.
John C. Kroon passed away peacefully on May 23, 2025 in his home in Carlsbad, California.
John was born on May 30, 1939, in Wormer, Netherlands, to parents Gerard and Duifje Kroon. In 1957, John emigrated with his parents and nine siblings to Ottawa, Canada where he began a remarkable journey of personal and professional achievement.
John earned his Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics from the University of Ottawa in 1972. He was highly respected in his field, holding several patents and authoring dozens of scientific publications. In 1974, John relocated to the United States with his wife Marian and their daughters, Stephanie and Lisa.
He built a distinguished career at Reuter-Stokes in Cleveland, Ohio, rising to President in 1987 following the company’s acquisition by General Electric. John’s career advanced to Frankfurt, Germany, where he served as President and CEO of GE Fanuc Automation Europe from 1991 to 1995.
John concluded his 30 year career at GE at GE Fanuc Automation North America in Charlottesville, Virginia. In 2006, John and Marian settled in San Diego, where he was active in both the UC San Diego Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, where he served on the curriculum committee coordinating science and engineering classes, and IEEE, where he chaired the San Diego Life Members Affinity Group.
John had a zest for life and loved sharing experiences and stories. He was always authentic, living and speaking in a direct Dutch manner. He generously dedicated his time to family, colleagues, and community. John had a talent for languages, speaking Dutch, English, German and French. Sports remained central to John’s life. He cycled through the decades – first out of necessity in the Netherlands, then for pleasure on San Diego’s scenic routes. He enjoyed both the competition and camaraderie of tennis and golf and was also a passionate hockey fan. He had a deep connection to soccer, which he first started playing at age 5 in the Netherlands and later coached as an adult.
Above all, John was a devoted husband and father, loving grandfather, and committed brother. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Marian, daughters Stephanie (husband Peng and children Max and Margo) and Lisa, and siblings Laurens, Kees, Willie and Trudie. John had many friends and colleagues around the world and will be deeply missed and forever cherished.
If you wish to make a donation, in lieu of flowers, the family has created an endowed scholarship in John’s name at the University of Ottawa. It will provide an annual scholarship to students pursuing a graduate degree in physics. Through this scholarship, we perpetuate John’s spirit and legacy by investing in future generations of physicists. Please use this link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/donation-form/give-to-the-john-c-kroon-graduate-scholarship-in-physics
A Celebration of Life event will be held in the next few months, and details will be posted here in the near future.
