John E. Gaal

January 3, 1947 - May 19, 2020

John E. "Trapper" Gaal, 73, of Fayetteville, formerly of Scotland, PA, passed away unexpectedly at home on Tuesday, May 19, 2020. He was born January 3, 1947 in Chambersburg, PA, the son of the late John J. and Keoka (Gontz) Gaal. John graduated from Chambersburg Area Senior High in 1964 and went on to serve his country in the US Navy. He was honorably discharged March 30, 1972. He was a longtime member of St. John's United Church of Christ, served as a scout leader in Scotland for many years, and was a member of the Franklin County Shrine Club, George Washington Council No. 66, George Washington Royal Arch Chapter No. 176, Acacia Lodge #586, Continental Commandery No. 56, Zembo Shriners, United States Navy Memorial, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1599, Mont Alto Vol Fire Co. No. 1, Chambersburg Club, The American Legion Post No. 15, and was past Commander of Amvets Post 224. In his younger years, he belonged to the Franklin County Sports Car Club. He retired as a Technical Illustrator/Computer Specialist for the US Government in 2007. His interests and hobbies included leather-working, wood carving, watching movies, and metal detecting. John will be sorely missed and lovingly remembered for his kindness, his humor, his devotion, and compassion. He is survived by his wife, Nancy (Nessel) Gaal, daughter Jessica (Gaal) Knouse, step-daughter Stacey Monn-Vudrag (Pierre), step-son Brett Monn (Edie), and grandsons Austin and Ethan Knouse. He is also survived by his sister Beverly (Gaal) Rensch, nieces, nephews and cousins. A CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE WILL BE HELD 11:00 A.M. ON SATURDAY, JUNE19, 2021 at St. John's UCC, 1811 Lincoln Way East, Chambersburg, PA 17202 with Pastor Caroline Saxton officiating. There will be a visitation held one hour prior to the service at the church. The service will also be livestreamed and the link to access may be found at https://sjucc1811.org/. Memorial donations may be made to St. John's UCC, Chambersburg, PA, the American Heart Association or the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter.