Jack R. Druckenmiller
April 14, 1931 – August 4, 2012
Jack R. Druckenmiller, 81, a longtime resident of the Gould City area, died Saturday August 4, 2012 at the War Memorial Hospital Long Term Care Unit in Sault Ste. Marie, MI.
Born on April 14, 1931 in Fremont, OH, son of the late Robert L. & Pauline (Crossett) Druckenmiller, Jack quit school to join the United States Air Force in 1948 and remained in active service until his honorable discharge. He retired from the Air Force attaining the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. While in the service, Jack was in aviation repair and designed the first jet engine test cell which is still in use today. Also while in the service, Jack finished his G.E.D., went to many aviation repair schools and received all of the following licenses; his AP & AI & AE and his ratings for teaching aviation classes. Upon his retirement from the service, he relied on his teaching abilities and taught ground school and flying near Swanton, Ohio for several years while working for Teledyn Corp. In addition to his love of aviation, Jack enjoyed brook trout fishing and singing. He was an accomplished singer and produced several christian music CD’s, which are in use all over the world today.
Jack is preceded in death by his parents, his first wife Virginia, his daughter Joanne and his son Mark. Survivors include his wife, the former Carol McMillan of Gould City, whom he married on December 7, 1996 in Engadine; sons Rex of Illinois and David (Sally) of TN; step children and their spouses Ronetta (Roger) Shoemaker of Gould City, Kelly Long of FL, Alan (Tonya) Jones of Ozark, Steve (Danielle) Jones of ID, Nathan (Kelly) Jones of Kinross and Tracy (George) Martindale of Gould City. Also surviving are several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Friends may call at the Calvary Bible Church in Engadine on Wednesday August 8, 2012 from 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm. Funeral services will follow at the church at 4:00 pm with Pastor Dave Davis officiating.
Condolences may be expressed at www.beaulieufuneralhome.com.
Beaulieu Funeral Home in Newberry is assisting the family.
Author: EUP News Staff
10:14 am
Jack is my father. This obit was close and very honoring. I want to make a few corrections and additions if allowed.
JACK ROBERT DRUCKENMILLER
Eulogy
Jack R. Druckenmiller, 81, a resident of the Gould City Mich., area, died Saturday Aug. 4, 2012, at the War Memorial Hospital Long Term Care Unit in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. He was born April 14, 1931, in Fremont, the son of the late Robert L. and Pauline (Crossett) Druckenmiller. He married his second wife, the former Carol McMillan of Gould City, on Dec. 7, 1996, in Engadine, Mich., and she survives.
Jack quit school to join the Navy, then joined the U.S. Air Force in 1948. He transferred to the 180th Ohio Air National Guard and served over 20 years until his honorable discharge. He retired from the Air Force, attaining the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. While in the service, Jack was in aviation repair and jet engine technician. He designed the first jet engine test cell, which is still in use today, and he was on the team that worked on the first and only hydrogen bomb testing.
While in the service, Jack finished his GED, went to many aviation repair schools and received his AP, AI, and AE licenses, and his ratings for teaching aviation classes. Jack taught ground school and flying in Wauseon and Toledo for many years. He worked as quality control officer on the MX missile jet engines built for Teledyne Corporation. In 1976, when his beloved daughter died, he accepted a teaching position at the Aviation Vocational Tech School at Macomber High School of Toledo, where he taught for over 13 years. As a teacher, he taught many young people who earned their aviation license for airframe and power plant. Many of these students went on to careers in aviation and the military.
Every summer, beginning at age 14, Jack would hitchhike from Fremont to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to visit one of his high school teachers, Mr. Stuckey. Over the years he fell in love with the Michigan outdoors. He built a home on Lake Manistee, where friends would come to enjoy the great outdoors with him and his first wife, Virginia. Jack resided in the Upper Peninsula after Virginia’s death, and married Carol McMillan.
In addition to his love of aviation and brook trout fishing, he was an accomplished singer. He produced several Christian music CDs, which are in use all over the world today. He sang for several years with his son, David, to soldiers serving in Brussels, Belgium, Heidelberg, Germany, Fort Sill, Fort Campbell and Fort Bragg.
Jack is also survived by his sons, Rex of Illinois and David (Sally) of Tennessee; his daughter-in-law, Tina of Ohio; his grandchildren, Christa, Daniel, Sarah, Kelly, Katie and Robert; and his great-grandchildren, Bethany, David, Ella, Rylie, Clayton, Dominic, Madison and Sophee.
He was also preceded in death by his his brothers, Raymond and Larry; his daughter, Joanne; and his youngest son, Mark.
David Lee Druckenmiller