John Edward Angel

John Edward Angel passed away in the early morning hours of May 20, 2024 at the age of 98 years. This is the story of his extraordinary life.

John was born in the front bedroom of the house at 410 Bloomsbury Ave, Catonsville, Maryland on January 18, 1926, the son of Raymond and Lula Angel. The family survived the Great Depression on a small chicken farm his father owned located on what are now the surrounding houses and properties. When the chicken business faltered due to the failing economy, John’s father, Raymond used wood from the chicken coops to build several of the neighboring houses along Bloomsbury Ave which were sold to generate income.

John graduated from Catonsville Senior High School (the school on Bloomsbury Ave) in 1943. After high school, he worked in a defense manufacturing plant in Baltimore.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, many of John’s friends were drafted or enlisted. He had a job deemed critical to the war effort but chose to enlist in the United States Army Air Force (USAF). After his training, he was assigned to a B-29 bomber squadron based on the Island of Tinian. He served as a tail gunner on 34 missions in the South Pacific Theater including bombing raids on the main island of Japan. John still recalls seeing the Enola Gay depart from Tinian, although it was only later he learned that the plane was carrying the first of two atomic bombs.

During his time in the USAF, John earned the Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, the WWII Victory Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the American Theater Ribbon, the Asian Pacific Theater Ribbon with 3 Bronze Stars, and the Good Conduct Medal. He was honorably discharged from the military in November of 1945 at the rank of Staff Sergeant.

After the war ended, John attended the University of Maryland. He left college a year early to start a successful contracting and land development firm. He began designing and building residential houses. He drew his own plans and started by hand digging the foundations, laying the block, and doing much of the work himself.

John had many other interests, among them snow skiing, hunting, fishing, archery, waterskiing, off-roading, boating, and flying. He owned several boats and airplanes… he loved to travel and he loved to pilot his airplanes.

John became friends with other business associates in Catonsville and they would travel to many different destinations, including Ocean City, Frederick, Miami, and even Havanna, Cuba… anywhere they could go.

John married Charlotte Marguerite Cashmeyer in Jessup, Maryland on January 20, 1959. They met as she was a bookkeeper at the John S. Wilson Lumber Company, one of the builder supply houses located in Catonsville. She became his sweetheart, confidant, partner and bookkeeper, and together, they developed new streets and properties, and constructed hundreds of homes in the Catonsville and Arbutus area.

Charlotte shared John’s love of traveling. They made multiple trips to Puerto Rico, where they spent their honeymoon, and took frequent trips Ocean City and many other destinations.

When they discovered they could not have children of their own, they adopted two sons: John Lincoln Angel and William Larsen Angel. They were adopted as infants, but John and Charlotte loved and treated the boys as their own.

John cared for his in-laws until they passed, and there were some minor difficulties, but all-in-all, they were living a storybook marriage… that is, until my Charlotte developed cancer in 1968 and resultantly passed away. At the time, the boys were ages 4 and 5. After Charlotte’s death, John shut down his contracting firm and dedicated his time mostly to raising his two boys. Times were tough, but John persevered.

Through his steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, John took one of the worst of all possible situations, and turned it for good. He raised his boys as a single father; he never remarried.

John’s love of travel persisted. He made use of the camper he hand built to fit onto his Ford Bronco, and followed with building out a conversion van for camping and travel. He traveled with them on a shoe-string budget whenever there were school breaks or summer breaks… almost any chance they could get.

John’s house seemed to be the epicenter of the neighborhood. It was a place where the neighborhood kids came for laughter, entertainment and fellowship. It was an environment of his and his boys’ creation. There was always something going on… everything you might imagine… kick the can, jumping off the swings, biking, beach trips, hiking trips to the mountains or Patapsco river, camping, swimming, scuba diving, shooting, skiing, etc. and road trips to any adventure.

Even after his boys had grown and married, John was there for them, advising, helping, fathering. He continued to travel, many times on his own, spending summers in his beloved Catonsville and winters skiing in Utah, well into his 80’s. John resided in Catonsville until his last days, enjoying visits from friends and family members, particularly his boys, his grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

John Edward Angel is preceded in death by his parents, Raymond Koons Angel and Lula Dell Angel (née Lindsey), elder brother John William Angel (died in infancy), and two sisters: Mary Barthel (husband Dr. Robert Barthel), Ruth Noonan (husband Roy Noonan).

He is survived by his two sons: John Lincoln Angel (wife Sherry Angel) and William Larsen Angel (wife Lisa Angel née Borkman); grandchildren: Jennifer Records née Angel (husband Joe Records, Ashley Anderson née Angel (husband Liam Anderson), John Matthew Angel (fiancé Erin Martin), Samuel Angel, Jacob Angel, William Larsen Angel, Jr, and Christian Angel; and great grandchildren: Paxton Augello, Jude Records, and Fiona Anderson; his nephews and nieces: Rick Barthel, Dixon Barthel (wife Doralice), Judy Barthel, and Dr. Robert Barthel (wife Jan); and their many children (his cousins, grand-nephews and grand-nieces).

The faith he exemplified and imparted to his boys lends comfort to them, as they know John’s parting does not warrant a permanent “good bye” but rather an interim “farewell… we’ll see you later, dad.”

John’s sons, John Lincoln Angel and William Larsen Angel will be receiving friends and family for a viewing at the Candle Light Funeral Home on Frederick Rd in Catonsville, MD on Friday, May 24, 2024 between the hours of 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm. There will be a church service immediately following at 6:00 pm.

The service will be Livestreamed on Candle Light's YouTube channel and can be viewed using this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxi6Q4sEkXWnn-tuNt1hlBg .

John will subsequently be cremated as per his wishes and interred with military honors at the Mount Union Church Cemetery in Taneytown, MD at a later date yet undetermined.