It would have been 72 years of marriage this month – “a precious and rare gem of a lifetime”. 

On December 21 and December 15, 2022 (respectively), the founder of Volunteers for Medical Engineering (VME), John Staehlin and his wife Mary Lou passed away leaving a rich legacy of serving the disability community and paving the way for others to use their talents for the greater good.

John was an engineer, innovator, and a leader in the community. Over the years, he received numerous local and national awards as well as held 33 patents. He began his career as an apprentice machinist and took night classes to increase his skillset. After Army duty, he began working for Westinghouse (now Northrop Grumman) and earning his Bachelor and Master's degrees. While working for Westinghouse as a Lead Mechanical Engineer for AWACS (Advanced Warning and Control System) in 1982, John was inspired to create VME (Volunteers for Medical Engineering), where he recruited fellow engineers, technicians and the medical community to help design and build one-of-a-kind devices for people with disabilities. John’s early inventions included a servo-driven orthosis for a person with quadriplegia to help move his hand and an eye-blink system which translated the eye movements of an iron lung patient into words. From there, the innovative solutions continued one-by-one and the pool of volunteers grew.  

In 2010, VME merged with a similar organization to become V-LINC, and in 2019, merged with The IMAGE Center of Maryland, where it continues to thrive. Now moving into its 41st year, John's legacy has touched the lives of hundreds of clients and collaborated with hundreds of volunteers throughout Maryland and its neighboring states. John was especially fond of mentoring engineering students from Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, Johns Hopkins University and other Maryland schools. In 2017, he was awarded the industry's prestigious Hoover Medal during the Annual American Society of Mechanical Engineers Awards Ceremony. He was 92 when he passed.

His wife, Mary Lou was a native of Baltimore and played a huge role in the growth of VME. She worked for Westinghouse as a secretary and then became a stay-at-home mom. Mary Lou assisted with VME administrative duties, attended business meetings with John, and helped with fundraising while caring for her family. No doubt, she had a share in helping to test devices built by John, recruiting volunteers, and discussing new custom projects over a family meal. She was truly VME’s first volunteer! She passed at 93.

John and Mary Lou are survived by a daughter and son-in-law, six grandchildren & in-laws and 11 great grandchildren. They will be remembered for their dedication to family, the community and love of engineering. We all have tough shoes to fill as we seek to live the example of two people who used their talents to make the world for people with disabilities a place of independence. We will miss them dearly.