Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/31/26
John Robert Rohde, 77, a successful lacrosse coach in Philly schools, of Exton, passed away on Friday, January 30th. The son of Alexander (Bud) and Roberta Rohde, he was born September 25, 1948, in Erie, Pennsylvania. John grew up in Erie and attended Henderson High School. After high school, John attended West Chester University, where he met the love of his life, Madalene (Foster) Rohde.
John served in the U.S. Navy from 1971-1974 and flew airplanes for the Hurricane Hunters, stationed in Guam. After honorably discharging from the Navy, John completed his college degree and married Madalene in 1974. They found home to be Chester County, PA. This is where they welcomed their three sons, Matthew Foster in 1978, Jeffrey Alexander in 1980, and Ryan Hunter in 1984.
John’s working life included time at Weichert Realty in West Chester, PA and Foster Court Reporting in Philadelphia, PA. However, his primary career was coaching. John’s coaching career spanned decades and multiple sports. As the GEYA Little League Commissioner from 1990-1996 and LYA Lacrosse co-founder, John led and directed the sports that directly impacted his sons and countless other young men in the Chester County area…