John C. Follweiler, 67, of Bethlehem, passed away November 2, 2026, in Lehigh Valley Hospital – Muhlenberg.

Born in Allentown on February 7, 1959, he was the son of Jacqueline (Bachman) Skrapits with whom he resided, and the late Clair Follweiler.

John founded, owned, and operated The Packaging Outlet, a packaging supply business. Prior to that, John worked retail management in Clover Stores, a division of Strawbridge & Clothier; then as General Manager for BOXMART INC., a corrugated box provider of Beacon Container.

He graduated from Liberty High School Class of 1976. While at Liberty he was honored with achieving the Liberty High School Scholar Athlete Award from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Lehigh Valley Chapter. This award was a combination of his top academic record along with his dominant left offensive tackle performance for the champion 1975 Liberty High School football team ranked 3rd in the state. He was also awarded the Morris Black Award for exemplary school citizenship. He continued his football career at Lafayette College, where he was a member of the Theta Delta Chi fraternity and graduated in 1980.

John also participated in a variety of other sports throughout his school years, playing for the Spartans in the Bethlehem Floor Hockey Leagues, youth baseball through all levels of Northwest Little League and the American Legion league, and basketball in the West Bethlehem Youth Association league.

As a seasoned adult, his sports passions continued as an avid Phillies, Flyers, and lifelong Los Angeles Rams fan.

John was active for several years in local Bethlehem politics, assisting when his brother and sister-in law ran for public office.

John was an avid Buick enthusiast in the Grand National community. The personal core passion of his adult life was his highly modified 1987 Buick Grand National Turbo-T Type, with it being featured in many publications and calendars. He was an active member and enthusiast of that car community. To expand his knowledge of car mechanics, he worked part time at Pep Boys and earned virtually all ASE parts & technician certifications.

A lifelong audiophile, John always sought out the high fidelity sound of primarily '60's and '70's rock music. Through the always top of the line stereo equipment to collecting Original Master Recordings vinyl through compact disks to electronic downloads, his musical library was a continuous source of joy and entertainment. Even in his recent years, John still found the way to attend numerous retro concerts, primarily at Penn's Peak.

In addition to his mother, he is survived by brothers, Robert Follweiler of West Bowmans and James (Irene) Follweiler of Bethlehem; a step-brother, Stephen (Barbara) Skrapits of Bethlehem; and a step-sister, Beverly (Gary) Bear of Bethlehem. He was predeceased by his step-father Stephen A. Skrapits.

A Memorial Gathering will be held on Sunday, November 15, from 2:00 – 4:00 PM in the Pearson Funeral Home, 1901 Linden Street, Bethlehem. The burial will be at a later date in Dinkey Memorial Cemetery, Ashfield.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in memory of John to support the Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenberg Intensive Care Unit (ICU), at Lehigh Valley Health Network. Contributions can be made on-line at www.lvhn.org/give (and make your directed designation) or mailed to LVHN, Office of Philanthropy, 3435 Winchester Road, Allentown, PA 18104.