John was born on September 5, 1936 to Edward Fibelkorn and Genevieve Martocci in Brooklyn NY. After graduating from Concordia College Preparatory School in 1954 he went on to study the Word of God at Concordia Seminary in Saint Louis MO.

After graduation, he was called by St Paul Lutheran Church, Cuba MO, and served there from 1962-1966. Throughout his career as an ordained minister, he also served the following churches and foreign missions:

Redeemer Lutheran, Newark NJ – 1966 to 1976

St Paul Lutheran, Dallas TX - 1976 to 1982

Sri Lanka – 1982 to 1991

St Luke Lutheran, Claremont CA – 1992 to 2001

In his retirement, he continued to serve as interim pastor for Lutheran Churches in Crescent City CA, Kingman AZ, Houston TX, Raymondville TX, Midland TX and Austin TX.

In 1961, he met Barbara Jean Lehenbauer, and they wed in 1962, going on to have five children, Philip, Stephen, Paul, Jennifer, and Christine.

John was passionate about the Word of God and could be found reading the Bible daily, as well as books about Church history and world history (particularly World War II). In addition, he was an avid sports follower, especially of the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers and the Duke Blue Devils, and he loved symphony orchestras, one of his favorite composers being Saint Saens.

John was preceded in death by his parents Edward and Genevieve, infant sister Jeanine, wife Barbara, and granddaughter Stephanie. He is survived by his sister, Diane Steiner; brother, Edward Fibelkorn and wife Dianne; son, Philip Fibelkorn and wife Patricia; son, Stephen Fibelkorn and wife Mary; son, Paul Fibelkorn and wife Kim; daughter, Jennifer McEwen and husband Perry Esdall; daughter, Christine Gatchalian and husband Andrew; grandchildren, Lisa, Mallorie, Nicholas, Chelsea, Jessica, Brian, Michael, Logan and Jeremy; great-grandchildren, Corbin, Lukas, Kelsie, Evan, Avery and Elaina; nieces, Deirdre, Jodi, Leyla and Lauren.