Mr. John R. Popielasz, 73, well-known drummer and musician in the Maryland & D.C. area, died on Friday, December 18
th
, 2015. He is survived by his spouse, Cheryl C. Popielasz and was the loving father of Randy Popielasz and Sarah Popielasz.
John was born September 7, 1942 in Chicago, Ill. He was born into a musical family surrounded by Polish and Czech polkas. His whole life has been dedicated to music. John began playing drums at a very early age. He played at school and in a boys club. In 1960, John graduated from St. Mel Catholic High School and immediately enlisted in the U.S. Navy. John attended the Navy School of Music in Washington, DC. He was stationed in Cuba, during the Bay of Pigs, and Vietnam.
After almost 9 years in the Navy, John began his career selling drums in Norfolk, then moved to Maryland to manage Drums Unlimited in Bethesda. He then became the manager at Veneman Music until 1992 when he advanced his career to become the District Sales Manager for Pearl Drums.
John was a professional drummer with most of the top bands in the Washington area including Gene Donati, Miles Stiebel, Sam Schreiber, and Bob Vigoda. He also played in the Washington Redskins show band.
His real passion was the German bands and polkas. John played primarily with the Edelweiss Band and Heimat Echo. He also provided drum lessons for many students in the Mount Airy area.
John loved fishing, boating, being outdoors, and watching football, especially his hometown Chicago Bears.
Services and interment are private and online memorials may be shared at keeneybasford.com.
