John D. Northrup, Founder of JD Northrup Construction and Holiday Valley Chairman, Passes at 78
Ellicottville loses a visionary entrepreneur, devoted community leader, and family man.
ELLICOTTVILLE - It is with much sadness that John D. Northrup’s family shares the news with the community that John has passed away at his home, surrounded by family, after a several-year battle with lung cancer.
John was the firstborn to G. Wilbur “Doc” and Edna Zwilling Northrup, both who predeceased him. His sisters Cindy and Bonnie Northrup, also predeceased him. He is survived by his wife Anne Northrup, two sisters Dr. Christiane Northrup of Yarmouth, Maine and Penny Kirk (Phil) of Albuquerque, NM, and his younger brother Bill Northrup (Lori) of Ellicottville, NY.
John founded JD Northrup Construction in 1974. That same year, he married the former Elaine Fesenmyer of Bradford, PA. They had three children: Jake Northrup (Jennifer), Karl Northrup (Jill), and Rachel McGee (Scotty). John had eight beautiful grandchildren: Ande, Riley, Karle, Clinton, Austyn and Saylor Northrup, and Easton and Seely McGee, all of whom live in the Ellicottville community. John is also survived by nephews Jacob, Matthew, and Nigel Kirk, and two nieces Kate Watts and Ann Moller.
John’s legacy is very large. The Ellicottville community will mourn the loss of a great man. The copious letters and visitors expressing appreciation and gratitude that John received prior to his death are overwhelming and comforting to the family. John was a member of the Board of Directors of Holiday Valley since 1978 after his father Doc Northrup passed away unexpectedly. He served as Chairman of the Board at Holiday Valley since 2019. When his wife, Anne, recently asked him about what Holiday Valley meant to him, he said, “I love Holiday Valley; it makes me very emotional to talk about it. It is in my DNA; it’s my connection with my parents and what they helped create as Founders. I have been honored to work with amazing Board Members over the 47 years of growth at Holiday Valley. We have grown in that time into something I am very proud of. The Board is my family, and I love each one of them.”
John’s greatest pride till his last day was his three children: Jake, Karl, and Rachel. John is well known for his “serial entrepreneurialism.” He started at a young age buying, developing, and selling land and condos with several partners: Alpine Meadows, Wildflower, SnowPine, and Fox Ridge, to name a few. In 1990 he met his future second wife and second life with local Anne Widger of Salamanca, NY, who survives him. Together, they developed land and condos at Village Place of Ellicottville and Tanglewood of Allegany. John and Anne shared 35 years of an exceptional love story full of adventures in travel, business, and family.
John served 15 years on the Ellicottville School Board, the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce, and the Town of Ellicottville Board. He started and managed the G. Wilbur Endowment Trust Fund to maintain the St. John’s Episcopal Church building. The “Four Corners” were very important to John’s father and to John to maintain the character of the Village of Ellicottville. He was the President of The Ellicottville Cemetery Association where he and his wife Anne have been managing Sunset Hill Cemetery since 1995. Other businesses included Ellicottville Energy, Ellicottville Car Wash, Ellicottville Storage, Green Valley Estates Mobile Home Park, the Great Valley Airport, and Chautauqua Utilities, to name a few. In 1994 John followed his wife Anne to become an Instrument Rated Private Pilot. Together they flew their airplane and traveled the U.S., Alaska, Canada, Australia, and the Bahamas by air. Two of their most memorable trips were a 3-week self-flying vacation in Australia in 2011 with wonderful friends Craig and Debbie Sorenson of Salt Lake City, Utah, and a few years later another trip with the Sorensons to Alaska that covered 7,982 miles and over 52 hours of flying time from Great Valley, NY and back.
John was an avid golfer and loved this sport and the time spent with so many great friends and family out on the links. The Springville Country Club and the Meadowood Tennis and Golf Club in Fort Pierce, Florida were favorite golf clubs where John and Anne had so many friends. He also enjoyed hiking, tennis, fishing, skiing of course, x-country skiing, hunting, and spending time with friends. John loved a good party, as he was a very social man.
Throughout his life, John has been generous and kind. As a true Eagle Scout from his high school years, he carried the Scout coin in his pocket every day. It has the 12 points of the Scout Law and the Scout Oath on it. He served in the United States Army Reserves for 7 years. John and Anne Northrup generously donated the land where the current Ellicottville Memorial Library was built. John was a member of the NRA, the Ellicottville Fire Department, and a Lifetime Member of the Ellicottville Sportsman’s Club, AOPA, American Legion, the VFW, and the Recreational Airport Foundation which preserves, improves, and creates public airstrips for recreational use.
Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Mentley Funeral Home in Little Valley, with visitation held Sunday, Dec. 7th and Monday, Dec. 8th. A private family burial service was held at Sunset Hill Cemetery the next morning. A Celebration of Life ceremony took place at the Yodeler Lodge at Holiday Valley on Tuesday, Dec. 9th.
Condolences may be sent to the Northrup Family at P.O. Box 1465, Ellicottville, NY 14731 or to Anne.Northrup@gmail.com.
Donations in John’s honor may be sent to Sunset Hill Cemetery, The Bob McCarthy Foundation, the Alley Katz, the Ellicottville Memorial Library, or the Dr. G. Wilbur Northrup Endowment Trust Fund for St. John’s Church. Any donations may be mailed to P.O. Box 1465, Ellicottville, NY 14731.