John J. Pentz Jr. ’51

Jake was born Sept. 2, 1927, in DuBois, Pa., the son of Mabel (Peterson) and John J. Pentz Sr. 1912.

A graduate of Mercersburg Academy, Jake served in the Navy from 1946 to 1948 after his freshman year at Princeton. Upon his return, Jake majored in SPIA and graduated cum laude. He belonged to Elm Club and the pre-law society, played clarinet in the orchestra, and was on the JV wrestling team. He roomed with Jim Patrick and Donn Snyder.

After graduating from the University of Michigan Law School in 1954, Jake practiced in New Haven, where he met Connie Beers, a student at Yale School of Music. They were married in 1957 and moved to the Poconos, where Jake was engaged in a general law practice for 55 years. Jake was Pocono District Boy Scout chairman, a Sunday-school teacher, and church council and Kiwanis member. He enjoyed participating in Princeton’s Nantucket and Southwest Florida alumni clubs.

Jake died June 28, 2012, of congestive heart failure at home in East Stroudsburg, Pa. He is survived by Connie; their sons John III ’85, James, and David; four grandchildren; his brother, William ’56; and nephew Edward Pentz ’89. His sisters, Mary Pentz and Jean Bennett, predeceased him.