John Patrick Apel ’70

Pat, whose search for knowledge and combativeness in the arena were each equal to anyone in the class, died Nov. 29, 2024.

He came to us from football country in Portsmouth, Ohio, and belonged to Cannon Club and the Rock Suite. Always peripatetic, he was also in Orange Key, Whig-Clio, and karate. He wrote his politics thesis on Pancho Villa for Paul Sigmund and set his sights on law school. Pat not only got his law degree from Vanderbilt, but along the way accumulated a master’s in theology and a Ph.D. in history. Meanwhile he remained active in the National Guard, eventually retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

He and his family ventured from Tennessee to Mississippi and eventually back to his home in Scioto County, Ohio, until his retirement in 2021. He developed a reputation as a strong and capable criminal prosecutor, whose devotion to the rule of law led to a term on the Ohio Supreme Court Board of Commissioners on Character and Fitness from 2006 to 2014. Always active in sports, the church, and voracious reading, he served as a constant adviser to his children and the many community groups to which he belonged.

Pat was predeceased by his wife, Katherine, whom he met and married at Vanderbilt in 1972. They are survived by son Jeep; daughters Therese and Mary Montavon; four grandchildren; brother Barney; and sister Lindsey Martin. We and they all have had the good fortune to experience someone whose breadth of talent and interest enriched many people throughout a life well lived.