Apple died May 4, 2012, in Hackettstown, N.J., near the family farm of his father, Earle Sr. 1909. His brother was Penn Holsapple ’36.
Apple majored in classics and played rugby. During World War II, he served as a lieutenant in North Africa and Italy, earning four battle stars. Apple was captured by the Germans and endured being a POW.
In 1946, Apple joined the dairy company Welsh Farms, rising to become chairman of the board. He took pleasure in knowing his company supplied the mix for Thomas Sweet Ice Cream in Princeton.
Apple was a grateful and gracious man, giving much to his family, his community and to the world. He and his wife, Jane, practiced the ministry of hospitality. He served on national and state boards in the dairy industry and for the American Diabetes Association. In Hackettstown he was on the boards of Centenary College and of a retirement home.
Jane, his wife of 68 years, died in 2009. Apple is survived by his children, Earle III, Holly, and Peter; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Apple once summed up his life by saying, “I had a good mother and a good father.” Together with his family, the class salutes this good man.