John Louis Bachofer, Jr.

J. Louis Bachofer Jr., 93, of Cochranville, PA passed away Wednesday May 29, 2024 at his home, surrounded by his loving family.

Born April 23, 1931 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to J. Louis Bachofer and Marie (Botto) Bachofer, Lou was a devoted husband to his pre-deceased wife of 67 years, Anne (Nancy) Bachofer (nee Reilly).

He enjoyed raising his four children Anne-Marie (David) Guthrie of Cochranville, PA.; Drew Bachofer of Coatesville, PA.; Joseph (Linda) Bachofer of Lancaster NH.; and  John Louis Bachofer III (deceased November 9th 2023) of Coatesville, PA., on his spacious land in a home where family loved to gather in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

He is survived as well by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Sara Guthrie Donovan (David) and Jacob and Grant Donovan; Mark Guthrie (Lydia) and Cole, Dean and Owen Guthrie; Elizabeth Guthrie Manghisi (Adrian) and Leonardo and Giuliano Manghisi; Steven Guthrie (Teresa) and Mackenzie and Lucy Guthrie and Joseph Bachofer Jr.

He is also the famous Uncle Louie to multiple nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews.

A Korean War veteran and devout Catholic, Lou returned from serving his country and married the love of his life and started a family.  He worked at a multitude of engineering firms throughout his career and specialized in aeronautical engineering.   He designed a blade folding mechanism that allowed for safe helicopter storage on aircraft carriers and worked on the Osprey, a military plane that flies forward like an airplane but lands vertically like a helicopter. He also worked on the glove safety locking system for the Apollo spacesuits.

Lou took his family to many fly-ins throughout the 1960s and 1970s and made sure his children learned all the intricacies of aerodynamics.

With a passion for building he created a legendary home and was always willing to help friends and family with building, moving and home repair.

Lou also enjoyed automobiles and the open road. He frequently took his family on road trips all across the country, as nearby as Williamsburg, Virginia and Boston, Massachusetts or as far away as Idaho and Arizona.

He was an excellent cook and was famous for the Easter Celebration at his home every year.  He loved to share his knowledge of food and dining and was always looking for a “good Reuben sandwich on rye”.  Those who loved him will dearly miss his bold sense of humor, his dynamic personality and of course his fantastically unique and wonderful laugh. 

Relatives and friends are invited to his visitation on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 from 9:00 am - 9:45 am at St. Agnes Church 233 W. Gay St. West Chester, PA 19380, followed by his Funeral Mass at 10:00 am.

Interment will be immediately after Mass at St. Agnes Cemetery.   

In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Lou’s lifelong quest for learning by making a donation to a library of your choice.