A beloved husband, father, and grandfather, John J. “Jack” Reydel died on December 20, 2018, at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife Jill, daughter Amy Reydel Fuchs, son JJ Reydel, and grandchildren Jackson Reydel, Bradley Fuchs, and Maddy Fuchs. Ethel Bradley Reydel pre-deceased Jack in April of 2005. He was most recently a longtime resident of Marion, Massachusetts and Vero Beach, Florida.
A native of New Jersey, Jack was born in Westfield, graduated from Westfield High School (and later took a post-graduate year at St. George’s) and received his undergraduate degree at Princeton University in 1951. After helping to lead his Princeton baseball team to the College World Series, Jack volunteered to join the Marine Corps and served an eighteen-month tour of duty during the Korean War where he earned a Bronze Star in service to his country.
Upon his return to civilian life, Jack began a life-long commitment to education, serving a combined 44 years at the Hill School in PA, the Lawrenceville School in NJ, Canterbury School in CT, and Germantown Academy in PA. He served in many roles over the years, including Head Football and Baseball Coach, Chairman of the History Department, and Headmaster. In addition, he was one of the first teachers selected to develop and grade Advanced Placement Exams for the College Board and guided countless students towards success on that exam. A true and distinguished academic, Jack was the recipient of the Coe Fellowship in American History at Stanford University, an Asian Fellowship at the East-West Institute at the University of Hawaii, and a Fulbright Scholarship in Seoul, South Korea. He also continued his formal education to earn a master’s degree in education from Harvard University. Finally, as a successful athlete, much-loved coach, and loyal fan over many decades, Jack was selected to the Halls of Fame at Westfield High School, St. George’s School, and Lawrenceville School.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 am on Saturday, April 6, 2019, at St. John the Evangelist Church, 9 Glen Road, Wellesley, MA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jack’s memory to either the E.R. Kast Fund for Faculty at Germantown Academy (℅ Martin Dean, Office of Institutional Advancement, 340 Morris Road, Fort Washington, PA 19034) or The Lawrenceville Fund (www.lawrenceville.org/giving or to the mailing address 2500 Main Street Lawrenceville, NJ 08648) at The Lawrenceville School.
