John J. Passan, a founder of Valley Distributing and Storage Co. and industry leader, died Feb. 21 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. He was 93 years old.
He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the Pacific. After the war ended, he furthered his education before starting a business.
In 1953, Passan founded City Delivery Service, and with just one truck and began picking up and delivering shoppers’ packages from downtown Wilkes-Barre.
He later entered the warehousing business by growing CDS into Valley Distributing and Storage Company; a family-owned and operated warehouse and trucking business that has been operating for more than 60 years, and which is currently based in Laflin, PA.
Passan served as president of the American Warehouse Association, which was the predecessor organization to what is now the International Warehouse Logistics Association.
He also served as president of the American Chain of Warehouses Inc.
His personal giving, as well as that of the Passan Family Foundation he created, has resulted in the establishment of the G. Thomas Passananti Professorship at Penn State College of Medicine in honor of his late brother.
Passan also endowed the Wilkes University Passan School of Nursing; John J. Passan Hall for Health Sciences at Misericordia University; and the Penn State Open Doors Scholarship that assists disadvantaged students.
He also had received the Northeast Pennsylvania Philanthropy Award and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Wilkes University.