John Joseph Reydel ’51

Jack suffered a stroke and passed away Dec. 20, 2018. Born in Westfield, N.J., to Charles and Alice Pettit Reydel, he was a longtime resident of Marion, Mass.  

He came to Princeton from Westfield High School and St. George’s, majored in history, and roomed with Dave Van Vleck, Chuck Weeden, and Stan Weiland. A member of Cottage Club and Orange Key, he played varsity baseball.  

Jack served in the Marines during the Korean War and remained in the Marine Reserves until 1958. Thirty years later he returned to Korea on a Fulbright scholarship, followed by an NEH grant in Korean studies. He received an Ed.M. from Harvard in 1957. His principal career was in education, serving at The Hill School, the Lawrenceville School, Canterbury School, and Germantown Academy.  

Jack is survived by his wife, Jill Gerald Reydel; his children, Amy Reydel Fuchs and John J. Jr.; and grandchildren Jackson Reydel and Bradley and Maddy Fuchs. His first wife, Ethel Bradley Reydel, the mother of his children, died in 2007. His brother Charles and sisters Mary Louise and Dorothy also predeceased him. A funeral mass was held at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Wellesley.