John C. Schrader

Age 75, of Mt. Lebanon, passed away on Monday, January 20th, 2025. Son of the late Charles and Virginia (Kirchner) Schrader; devoted and loving father of Jessica; longtime friend of Julia Duhig; brother of Andrew and the late Michael; and generous and doting cat dad to Isabel Hyacinth and to the cat who chose him, Mittens Marigold. John is also predeceased by several very beloved and spoiled cats.

A chemical engineer by trade, John was a scientist at heart. During his career, he received four patents for his work, related to methods for removing phosphorus from wastewater and processes for reducing the sulfate concentration in a wastewater stream. He was always tinkering around, whether coming up with solutions at work or finding ways to fix things around the house.

In his free time, he enjoyed all things scientific, and he loved gadgets and toys. He owned a large telescope and participated in star parties; he collected dinosaur fossils and coprolite; he knew everything there was to know about his cars; and he built model trains. Music was another of his pastimes, and he loved building speaker systems to get the best sound possible. He loved doo-wop in particular, as well as “Happy Together” by The Turtles. He was also a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and he enjoyed watching football, soccer, MMA, Battle Bots, sitcoms, live police shows, science fiction shows and movies, and anything with Tim Allen.

John was the quintessential teller of Dad Jokes, and everyone he met heard at least one cow joke or Rudolph joke. He loved being able to share something with others, whether a laugh (or groan) over one of his jokes or an explanation of how or why something worked. (Or, in the case of his daughter, how to multiply using Roman numerals.) If there was something you wanted to know, John was the person you asked. He was selfless with his money and time, and if he could help someone, he did.

Family and friends welcome on Friday, January 24th, from 4-6 P.M., at Laughlin Cremation and Funeral Tributes, 222 Washington Road, Mount Lebanon, PA 15216, where a prayer service will be held at 6:00 P.M. Interment will be private to the family.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be given to CurePSP – www.psp.org, The Carnegie Museum of Natural History – www.carnegiemnh.org, or the Carnegie Science Center – www.carnegiesciencecenter.org.

www.laughlinfuneralhome.com

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