By: Nicole Hamilton
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FLORENCE - A few days before John Krumpelman died, he reminded his wife, Arlene, that the car needed an oil change.

"He worried about the people he loved because he wanted us to have a good life. He was a pillar to us all," his wife said.

Mr. Krumpelman died Thursday at St. Elizabeth Medical Center South in Edgewood. The longtime Florence resident was 60.

He worked as a pharmacist at the Elsmere CVS store for about 30 years, starting when it was the Elsmere Drugstore.

In December 2003, Mr. Krumpelman was diagnosed with cancer that eventually spread to his hip and lungs.

Although the illness made it difficult to walk, he never officially retired from his job.

"Everyone wanted him to get better. ... He was very humble and a little shy and would have done anything for anybody," his wife said.

Raised in Covington, Mr. Krumpelman graduated from St. Xavier High School. He studied at the University of Cincinnati, earning his pharmacy degree in 1966.

That same month, Mr. Krumpelman married Arlene Stenger and moved to Yorktown, Va., where he served as a lieutenant junior grade in the U.S. Coast Guard. Mrs. Krumpelman stayed in Kentucky.

His wife joined him when he moved to Memphis, Tenn., a year later. The couple moved back to Northern Kentucky three years later, and Mr. Krumpelman began working as a pharmacist at Elsmere Drugstore.

In addition to his wife, other survivors include two sons, Brian of Elsmere, and Gary of Florence; a daughter, Kathy Miller of Silver Grove; two brothers, Larry of Post Falls, Idaho, and Joe of Marietta, Ga.; two sisters, Jane Carrello of North Beach, Md.., and Jean Webb of Independence; and three grandsons.

Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. Monday at Stith Funeral Home, 7500 Highway 42, Florence.

Mass of Christian burial will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Paul Church, 7301 Dixie Highway, Florence.

Burial will be in Floral Hills Memorial Gardens, Taylor Mill.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, 6612 Dixie Highway, Suite 2A, Florence, KY 41042.

E-mail nhamilton@enquirer.com