John “Jack” H. Trumble

The legacy Jack Trumble leaves behind is one of honor, integrity, and strength of character. A dedicated family man, loyal friend and true patriot, he significantly impacted the lives around him as an accomplished visionary and through his kind and generous nature. Jack was a hardworking man whose family was the driving force behind his strong work ethic where his moral convictions and ethical standards were unmatched. Although he will be dearly missed, those who knew Jack will be forever grateful for having known and loved such a remarkable man.

Born at a time when families struggled through the hardships of the Great Depression and impending war overseas, people lived simply and learned to find joy in the little things in life. It was in the midst of these challenging times on July 6, 1934 when Howard and Josephine (Snyder) Smith welcomed the birth of their son, John into their lives. Born in New Philadelphia, Ohio along the Tuscarawas River, John joined his older sister, Nancy. Sadly, John’s father died when John was an infant. His mother taught school in New Philadelphia; she met and married Melvin Trumble when John was four years old. Melvin adopted John and Nancy. The family later welcomed younger brothers, Melvin and Thomas. Although his given name was John, he was referred to as “Jack”, his lifelong name.

Jack’s father worked in real estate appraising and took part in the formation of the Cole-Layer-Trumble Company. Due to his father’s work, their family moved often during Jack’s early years. They lived in South Carolina and a number of places in Ohio before settling in Dayton, Ohio where they made their family home. He attended the local schools in the areas where they lived, but once in Dayton he went on to graduate from Fairview High School where he established friendships that would remain for life with Bob Gersack (Morrie) and Bob Faulkender.

Following high school Jack went on to Purdue University for a year before entering the Army during the Korean War. He served for two years from 1954 to 1955 and remained proud of his service. As a dedicated Veteran of war, his patriotism was evident throughout his life. He always flew the American flag and his daughter, Sarah, has fond memories of her father saluting the flag after raising it in the morning and again in the evening when it was lowered at the lake cabin. After returning home from the military, Jack enrolled at the University of Dayton and studied Electrical Engineering before graduating with a B.A. in Electrical Engineering in January of 1960. Fresh out of school with his degree in hand, he took a position with the Cutler Hammer Corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, remaining there for the next five years of his life.

Jack’s university years were not all work. He welcomed deviations from his studies from time to time where parties were enjoyed with his Veteran buddies. They quite often invited students from nearby St. Elizabeth’s Nursing School, and at one point Jack met a beautiful young nursing student named Mary Ann Feser. Jack and Mary Ann were attracted to each other right from the start and soon a beautiful romance began. They were happily engaged in 1959 and were married the following spring on May 28, 1960. Together Jack and Mary Ann made their home in Elm Grove, Wisconsin for the next 34 years and raised their three children, John, Sarah and Dan.

A man of many talents and interests, Jack eventually left Cutler Hammer, leaving his engineering career behind when he took a position with Dean Witter as a stock broker. He traveled to San Francisco, California for training and after attending class every day for six days a week, he returned home for a promising career with the investment firm. Jack valued integrity and viewed his duties as more than just fiduciary in nature. He set the financial well being of his clients as a priority and always took a moral and ethical position. For this, Jack created many friendships through the years not only for his knowledge, but as a well respected man of character who held high to the ethical standards he lived by. He remained with Dean Witter for 15 years before moving on to Piper Jaffray and eventually began working for Paine Weber where he rose to the level of manager.

During this time Jack acquired Malignant Hypertension which caused him to lose vision. Jack was a rapid reader and it was imperative that he keep up with the current laws and regulations in the various areas of investment. When he could no longer keep up due to his diminished vision, he took an early retirement in 1987 at the age of 53.

Jack pursued many interests such as hunting, fishing, trapshooting, golfing, and spear fishing all of his life. Retirement didn’t slow him down. With their shared love for travel, he and Mary Ann enjoyed trips to Hawaii, Alaska, Egypt and Aruba. They also spent memorable times at their family cabins on Burt Lake and Mullett Lake, 30 miles south of Northern Michigan’s enchanting Mackinaw Island. Over the years he also enjoyed playing cribbage and poker with friends. Just a kid at heart, Jack was always up for fun times, especially when surrounded by his friends and loving family. It was often difficult to determine who was having more fun, Jack or his children which was especially evident on a family trips to Disney World. Great times were also shared at the Trumble family cabin over the years. Jack loved towing the kids behind the boat water skiing and was known for doing things at the spur of the moment, such as randomly jumping off the dock. A true jokester, fun times were sure to be found in Jack’s company.

As an accomplished woodworker, Jack enjoyed his creative side. He loved time in his workshop where he often made things from wood. A talented cribbage player, he also liked making cribbage boards, and sent many to the troops overseas during Desert Storm. He also opened his workshop up to young Cub Scouts who came to his shop to build pinewood derby cars. Always eager to lend a helping hand, Jack even added inventor to his list of talents. Who can forget his invention of thermology and his leaf machine. With great visionary attributes, Jack was one to enjoy almost anything comprised of science fiction.

After their children grew to have lives of their own, Jack and Mary Ann moved to Brookfield, Wisconsin in 2003. As the years progressed Jack developed other medical issues. His vision was greatly affected by small strokes, and he developed advanced heart disease. Due to his need for care, when Mary Ann needed hip replacement surgery Jack went into a nursing home. As his condition worsened, Jack entered hospice care at Season’s Hospice in Waukesha, Wisconsin where at the age of 76, he entered into rest, free from pain on Friday, January 21, 2011.

With strong ethical standards, John H. “Jack” Trumble was a man of integrity who set a fine example to those around him. His loving and generous nature was a blessing to many and although he will be greatly missed, he leaves much to be remembered in the hearts of many.

Jack was the beloved husband of Mary Ann, his wife; cherished father of John Trumble, Sarah (Michael) Bonnett, and Dan Trumble; loving “grandpa” of Michael John Bonnett, Laura Jean Bonnett, Michael Anthony Trumble, and Audrie Mai Trumble; dear brother of the late Nancy (Walt) Mendrick, the late Melvin Trumble, and Thomas and his wife Douglas Trumble. He is further survived by many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Visitation: Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at St. Mary’s Visitation Parish, 1260 Church Road, Elm Grove, Wisconsin 53122 from 12:30 PM to 2:15 PM with the funeral Mass following at 2:30 PM. Private interment at St. Mary’s Visitation Parish Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St Mary’s Parish. To leave a favorite memory or photo of Jack, please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you can also sign his online guest book. The Trumble family is being served by the Suminski Family Funeral Homes,

414-276-5122.