John Howard Stern, 78, died Saturday, June 11, 2016 at his home in Chapin, SC. Born in Hackensack, NJ on February 25, 1938, he was a son of the late Howard E. Stern and Emma Heger Stern. Mr. Stern was a member of Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Chapin and was a veteran of the US Army. He graduated from Rutherford High School in New Jersey, completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at Fairleigh Dickinson University and attended Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program. He retired from Sony Corporation of America as Human Resources Executive Vice President and also retired from the Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina where he served as Distinguished Lecturer and taught international human resources courses. He received USC's Distinguished Service Award in 1995. During his active years, he served on numerous boards including the Board of Directors of Ramapo College and the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering. He is a past director of the Commerce and Industry Association of North Jersey, the Sony Corp of America Foundation and past chairman of the Advisory Board for the Center for Advanced Human Resources Studies at Cornell University. He formerly served as president of the Rutherford Jaycees and on the Rutherford Board of Education, was a member of the BPOE and a former member of the Newberry Country Club. John co-authored the book, Getting the Right Job: A Personal Guide to Developing Your Career. Golfing, fishing, playing poker and traveling were among his favorite past times and he especially enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. The USC Gamecocks and the NJ Jets were his top sports teams. He is survived by his wife Cecelia Brennan Stern; children and spouses, John Stern (Marjorie) of Wharton, NJ, Patricia King (Stephen) of Kingwood, TX, Marty Stern (Heather) of Milford, NJ, Maureen O'Neal (Michael) of San Diego, CA, Jennifer Mulcahy (Joseph) of North Brunswick, NJ, Daniel Stern (Laura) of Arlington, VA and Edward Stern of Raleigh, NC; grandchildren, Sarah Schaare, Joseph Bernard Mulcahy, Jr., Thomas William Mulcahy, Gillian Sara Stern, Martin Brennan Stern, Jr., Ryan Patrick Mulcahy, Catherine Ann Stern, Christina Nichols Stern, Andrew Christopher Mulcahy, James Michael Mulcahy, Stephen John King, Cassandra Anne Berth, Keira Ann King, Kayleigh Elizabeth O'Neal, Emma Claire Stern, John Robert Berth, Colin Michael O'Neal, Luke Stern, Shane Patrick O'Neal, Carter Stern, Alexis Stern, and Cooper Stern; and great grandchildren, Rebecca Evelyn Mulcahy and Connor Wyatt Mulcahy. The Rosary for John Stern will be prayed at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, June 15, at Whitaker Funeral Home, 939 Chapin Rd, Chapin with visitation to follow from 7:00 until 9:00 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by the Rev. Dennis B. Willey on Thursday, June 16 at 9:30 am at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, 195 Amicks Ferry Road in Chapin. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Honorary pallbearers will be Phillip Laferrera, Bernard Brennan, Carl LoBue, Roger Daly, Phillip Laferrera, III, Michael Laferrera, Joseph Mulcahy, Michael O'Neal, and Stephen King. The family suggests memorials be made to Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, P.O. Box 549 Chapin, SC 29036 or the National Kidney Foundation https://www.kidney.org/support Memories and condolence messages may be shared with the family at www.whitakerfuneralhome.com. Whitaker Funeral Home of Chapin is assisting the family.