On Saturday, June 25, 2022 John Bruce Ireland, 79, of Jarrettsville, Maryland passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family.  Beloved husband of 41 years to Linda Lee Ireland (nee Sparacco); loving father of Brandi (and Price) Roberts of Forest Hill, MD, Kerry (and Ryan) Baker of Winchester, VA, and Alyssa Sparacco Ireland; and proud grandfather of Lauren Baker, Hope Baker, Katherine Baker, Rachel Roberts and Rebecca Roberts.

John grew up in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, the son of the late William Pope and Pauline (Bretthauer) Ireland, Jr.  He had two older brothers, William Pope Ireland III and Neal Stuart Ireland, who coached his baseball teams and mentored him when his father passed away at a young age.  His devoted mother worked tirelessly to enable John to earn a B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering at Lafayette College at Easton, Pennsylvania.

An accomplished athlete and sports enthusiast, he pitched for the Lafayette College baseball team advancing his team to the College World Series in 1965.  He enjoyed playing football, basketball and golf, as well as coaching his daughters' softball teams.

He began his career at Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point Plant in the Rod & Wire Mill specializing in quality assurance.  He worked at various steel companies over the years and retired in 2009 from Mittal Steel Walker Wire, Inc.

An avid nature enthusiast John loved birdwatching.  He and his wife Linda owned the Wild Bird Marketplace in Bel Air, Maryland for many years.  He loved educating his customers about birding, enthusiastically sharing his expertise.  He was a member of the Harford Bird Club – Maryland Ornithological Society.  He also enjoyed spending his time in retirement working on Sudoku and jigsaw puzzles.

John served his community over the years as an EMT volunteer at the Jarrettsville Fire Company, on the board of the North Harford Swim Club using his engineering expertise to help in structural matters, and at the Jarrettsville Elementary School in the cafeteria where his daughter Alyssa was a student.

A gentle and kind soul, John was always willing to help people and was passionate about environmental causes.  A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, July 24 ^th at 3:00 pm at Eden Mill Nature Center, 1617 Eden Mill Road, Pylesville, Maryland. Interment will be private.

Donations in lieu of flowers in John's memory can be made to the Harford Bird Club, Attn: Eric Vangrin, 1100 Barkley Place, Bel Air, Maryland 21014 (memo John Ireland).