Christopher C. Jaeckel ’64

Christopher C. Jaeckel ’64 Kit died July 12, 2013, of pancreatic cancer. At the end he was at home in Earleville, Md., surrounded by family and listening to the blues music he enjoyed so much in recent years.

Born in New York City, Kit attended what he described as a “fashionable New England prep school,” then entered Princeton with the Class of ’64. An English major, he was one of a kind — gracious, mischievous, and always intellectually curious. He took great pleasure in repartee that drew on a lifetime of experiences that included Princeton (where he was one of Cloister Inn’s most renowned jokesters), military service, television news broadcasting, volunteer firefighting with the Hunter (N.Y.) Fire Company, and acting with the Greene Room Players. He was employed by and was the eventual owner of Walter R. Benjamin Autographs in Hunter for 38 years before retiring in 2010.

Above all, Kit was a devoted family man who never faltered during the long years of caring for his late wife, Betty. The class extends sympathy to his son, Garrett Billmire; his sister, Pamela Oppen; brother Theodore Jaeckel; two nieces; two nephews; and two grandchildren.