Jack P. Wachtel

Wachtel, Jack, 81, passed away Tuesday, February 22, 2011. Jack was born at home on June 3, 1929 and was raised in New York, NY with his schoolteacher mother and florist father. He spent many boyhood summers at Lake Maranacook in Winthrop, Maine, where he first explored his yearning to sail. He built his first sailboat himself, capturing the breeze with his mother’s hand-sewn sails. He attended Brown University where he was inducted as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Maryann, the love of his life, won his heart in 1947, and their courtship culminated in marriage on August 2, 1952.

Jack enlisted in the Air Force in 1950, desiring the thrill of flying over the risk of being drafted during the Korean War. As a jet fighter pilot in Korea, his skill earned him numerous commendations and the request of many senior officers for him to be their wingman on dangerous missions. As a flight instructor, he left his mark on many young trainees, encouraging them to handle the most difficult situations with the same composure that marked his response to adversities and challenges throughout his life.

After the birth of his son, Jack Jr. (1960), Jack chose to limit combat exposure and transition into the role of a diplomat in 1963. He was likable, patient, witty, and sharp – a good fit for his new responsibilities as Air Attaché to the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville) Africa, where they lived for 2 years. After some time in the states (Texas) and the birth of his daughter, Colette (1966), he and the family were transferred to the base in Misawa, Japan (1969). His post at the Pentagon began in 1971, and he would be stationed stateside from that point forward. In 1973, his youngest, Maryanne, was born, and the family was complete.

Jack spent his final Air Force years as Inspector General at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL (1975-1977), retiring from the service as a Lieutenant Colonel. Shortly thereafter, he became Vice President of MacDill Federal Credit Union and launched his second career, this time in banking. He would retire from MFCU as President in 1989, and begin pursuing the second love of his life: harnessing the wind through sailing.

Jack, Colette, and Maryanne embarked on their grand sailing adventure in 1992 – setting sail in “Missy”, a 35-foot Island Packet cutter-rigged sloop – while Maryann held down the fort at home in Tampa. The never-formally-trained captain and crew of “Missy” sailed from Key Biscayne, FL across the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and back, putting over 15,000 nautical miles under her keel. Maryann joined Jack for the last four months of that trip; they enjoyed sailing from one Caribbean port to the next at their own pace, just the two of them – a perfect finish to an outstanding journey. It was his life’s dream planned and executed, marking his retirement years with adventure, tranquility, and powerful experiences that became fond and vivid memories.

In 2005, Jack and Maryann proudly completed the purchase and rebuilding of his boyhood summer home in Winthrop, Maine. In his last years, the porch overlooking Lake Maranacook in summer was his favorite spot and he often commented that “heaven couldn’t be better than this.”

Jack was a quiet man, never proud or boastful; he was calm and deliberate in his speech and actions, but didn’t hide his quick wit. He touched the lives of all who knew him in ways he never knew and his humility wouldn’t allow him to understand. He loved cars, boats, and planes, flying, sailing, reading, history, and sappy movies. He cheered on his Longhorns, Seminoles, and Buccaneers whenever he could, and had a knack for joke- and story-telling. Despite numerous ailments in his final years, he rarely complained; a cold beer or glass of wine with a good meal or a call from his kids was enough to make it a good day for him. He was a “trooper” with extraordinary patience.

Jack lived a full life, peppered with adventure and surrounded by love. His wife, three children, and three grandchildren will forever feel the void he has left behind, and all who knew him are better because of it.

Funeral services held 10:45 a.m. Friday, July 22, 2011 at the Ft. Meyer Chapel in Arlington, VA. with graveside services with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.

Arrangements were made under the direction of Garden Sanctuary Funeral Home, 7950 131st Street North, Seminole, FL 33776 / 727-391-0121.