John Martail Cholin

People who knew him recognized him as a renaissance man: a good, honest man of faith, a patriot, highly inquisitive, well read, fascinated by natural history, a lover of music and his dogs.

Born to Roger and Dorothea shortly after WW-II while the family was living in Latrobe PA; his childhood was spent there, then Yorktown Heights and finally Pound Ridge NY. He attended Colgate University where he got his Bachelor of Science in chemistry. He started work at Safety First Fire Products in NY as an engineer, moved on to engineering and management roles at Firetek Corporation in NJ where he got his Master of Science in electrical engineering. He then changed career direction from working in small manufacturing companies to consulting when he founded JMCC Consultants where he consulted as a professional fire protection engineer.

In college he created burned wood sculptures, participated in a jug band, and studied chemistry. At Firetek he developed several ground-breaking fire detectors: infrared flame and spark detectors, a fuse-able optical fiber thermal detector and ionization and photoelectric smoke detectors along with control panels to run them. Along the way he authored several patents.

At JMCC he developed his expertise in dust explosions and performed many origin and cause investigations. This led to him participating as an expert witness in dozens of court cases, working in NFPA committees to develop better fire codes and author of several handbook chapters. He was a champion of codes rooted in performance-based design and the physics and chemistry of fire.

During his career, he pursued his interests in early American history, participating in historical treks and rendezvous. A skilled gunsmith, he built many flint-lock firearms of various styles and sizes. A devout hunter, he spent many a fall week pursuing the elusive white-tailed deer with recurve bows. While scouting for deer-sign or getting walks in in the neighborhood, he was generally accompanied by his beloved Ollie or Dusty.

John passed away suddenly on Sunday the 25th in his home of natural causes. He is survived by his brothers Roger, Jeffrey, Roger's children and grandchildren, and his deceased brother Ronald's children. If you want to make a donation in John's memory, his favorite charities were

· the American Chestnut Foundation

· the NRA-ILA

· the National Muzzleloading Rifle Association

· The Ponds Reformed Church

· the Roger R. and John M. Cholin Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Maryland.

He will be missed by his family, the membership of the Ponds Reformed Church, neighbors and the business contacts that depended on his services.