Obituary: John Walson Jr.

John Walson Jr., 63, of South Whitehall, president and CEO of Service Electric Cable TV & Communications, passed away in his home Sunday afternoon, Aug. 19, 2012, after a short battle with cancer. He was the loving husband of 40 years to Gloria (Salash) Walson and the proud father of John M. Walson and Michelle Walson Kuykendall. He was a member of St. Mary’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Allentown and St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church in Emmaus. 

Born in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, he was the son of Margaret (Kowatch) Walson and the late John Walson, Sr., who founded Service Electric as the nation’s first community antenna television system in 1948. Based in Bethlehem, Service Electric is the largest family-owned cable company in the country. 

Walson received many honors over the years, including an Honorary Doctorate from Muhlenberg College, a Mid-Atlantic Emmy as the Executive Producer of Lehigh Valley IronPigs Baseball, and the Truman Frey Lifetime Achievement Award for Service Electric's contribution to the Lehigh Valley sports community. He was an owner of the former Lehigh Valley ValleyDawgs USBL basketball team and a founding partner of Lehigh Valley IronPigs Baseball, Lehigh Valley Phantoms Hockey, MusikFest, and The ArtsQuest Center at Steel Stacks. 

Walson was known in the community as an avid golfer and philanthropist who supported a variety of nonprofit organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley, Lehigh Valley Hospital, St Luke’s Hospital, Sacred Heart Hospital, The Good Shepherd Home, and IronPigs Charities.

He is survived by his wife, Gloria Walson; son, John M. Walson and wife Michal of Chalfont; daughter, Michelle Walson Kuykendall and husband Jeffrey of Manhattan; mother, Margaret Walson and one brother of Allentown; sister, Rosalie Walter and husband Hoyt of Allentown; cousin, Joseph Macus and wife Irene of Allentown; mother-in-law, Fannie Salash of Bethlehem; brother-in-law Stephen Salash and wife Joanne of Bethlehem; sister-in-law, Jean Diamond and husband Emmanuel of Bethlehem; niece, Natalie Walter Young and husband Scott of Breinigsville; nephew, Mark Walter and wife Rebecca of Allentown; niece, Elena Walter and fiancé Justin Romano of Conshohocken; nephews, Anthony and Nicholas Diamond of Bethlehem. John is pre-deceased in death by his father, John Walson, Sr. and brother, Paul Walson.

A viewing will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 22, from 4 p.m. to  8 p.m. with Parastas at 7:30 p.m., at Kohut Funeral Home, 950 N. Front St. Allentown, PA 18102. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, Aug. 23, 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church, 1031 Fullerton Ave., Allentown, PA 18102; burial to follow at Resurrection Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Mary’s Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Allentown, St. Paul Antiochian Orthodox Church of Emmaus, Bishop’s Annual Appeal Diocese of Allentown, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley, IronPigs Charities, and Lehigh Valley Health Network Hospice.