According to John’s wishes a private family service will be held at the convenience of the family.

John Wesley Betrone III passed into the ethereal realm on Monday, April 17, 2023, at the age of 84. He was born in York, PA, in 1938 to John Wesley Betrone Jr., and Frances E. Betrone (Cavanaugh). They later moved to Columbia, PA, where John attended high school, and excelled in basketball and football.

It was there that he met his wife, Elizabeth (Beth) Berntheizel, who often sat courtside with John’s mother, sharing stories and cheering him on. John was inducted into the Columbia High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015, and Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2015.

John attended Franklin & Marshall College to study History. He played basketball and football for the Diplomats, and in 1959 his fleet, spirited, and elusive moves led him to captain the football team. He went on to work in transportation and terminal management for Mason and Dixon. His work sent him and his family throughout the mid-Atlantic and Midwest, and back again to settle in Landisville, PA. John later worked for Penn Air & Hydraulics from which he retired in 2006.

John and Beth married in 1957 and had four wonderful children, with whom he shared his love of nature and the outdoors, and especially fishing. Whether surf fishing in Cape Cod, MA, Stone Harbor, NJ, or Indialantic, FL, or plying the freshwater rivers and streams of southeastern PA, John knew where to find fish and how to land them. Many fresh fish dinners were caught, cleaned, and cooked by John, and enjoyed by all. If you missed him by the water, you could often find him on the golf course, where he enjoyed the long, slow walk around the greens.

John, together with Beth, had many favorite places to spend time, including Stone Harbor, NJ, Myrtle Beach, SC, Cape Cod & Nantucket, MA, St. Augustine, Indialantic, & Sanibel, FL, Taos and Santa Fe, NM, Dolores, CO, and several spots in California. They also traveled to Germany, Iceland, Switzerland, and Mexico, where Beth caught the fishing bug and landed a sailfish that still hangs on their wall, a memento of their friendly competition and good times together. John was also a lifetime member of the Columbia Canoe Club.

John is survived by his wife of 66 years, Beth Betrone (Berntheizel); children Beth (Steve) Vail of Summerville, SC, Miki (John) Betrone-Harpst of St. Augustine, FL, Susan (Scott) Van Arman of Lancaster, PA, Michael (Melissa) Betrone of Landisville, PA; grandchildren Jessica, Justin (Caroline), Mackenzie (Eddie), Ali (James), Greta, Claudine, and Iris; great-grandchildren Jocelyn and Savannah; sister Carole (Harry) Pickle of Myerstown, PA, nephew Harry Pickle IV (Jamie) , and nieces Jodi Pickle, and Carolyn (George) Kreider.

According to John’s wishes a private family service will be held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice and Community Care, 685 Good Drive, Lancaster, PA, 17604. And the next time you wet a line, please remember John in your heart. Arrangements by the Clyde W. Kraft Funeral Home, Inc. Columbia/Landisville www.clydekraft.com

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