Jack was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and received a BA degree from the University of Virginia in 1957. He served as an officer in the US Army, and following his Army stint, joined his father in a family garment manufacturing business in Farmingdale, Long Island, NY. He also subsequently engaged in a variety of entrepreneurial efforts in the finance and brokerage, first in the New York area, and for the last 25 years, in Columbia.
In his younger years, he was an avid tennis player, traveler and sports fan. In his retirement, he recognized the importance of youth education and served as a reading tutor and mentor to disadvantaged children.
He was predeceased by a brother, Ronald Mester. He is survived by his wife, Judith Druckman Mester, and his three sons by his first wife (the late Judith Brenner Church), Peter (Sharon), Jeffrey, and Thomas (Lisa), and by eight grandchildren.
Memorial donations may be made to Heartstrings Hospice of Columbia.
