Jack Harry Amundsen died peacefully at his home in assisted living in Vero Beach Florida on November 4, 2024, at the age of 90. Jack was an amazing, thoughtful, intelligent man who had a rich and rewarding life. In his life, he was many things – an Air Force pilot, physics teacher, author, instrument-rated pilot, flying instructor, construction worker, private detective, taxi driver, nurse, hotel manager, farmer, tennis player, water skier, father, grandfather, and husband. He was a wonderful and supportive father to his children. He was also a wonderful grandfather, often helping his grandsons learn tennis, math, and physics.

Jack was born in Dowagiac Michigan, to Lydia & Harry Amundsen, and went to Dowagiac High School. His parents were farmers, and he did a lot of work on their farm, picking peaches, asparagus and other crops. One of the things that had a big effect on his life was having osteomyelitis in his right leg when he was 8. He was in the hospital for a very long time to regain physical capability in his leg. He had time to do a lot of reading, which meant that he read a lot, thought a lot, and in general had time to attain a greater level of intellectual depth than many of his peers. One of his good friends growing up in Michigan was Max Allen. They played a lot of tennis together, and much of the force of the Dowagiac high school tennis team.

In 1952, he started at University of Miami, and played tennis for them. The next year he moved to the University of Michigan, and was in line for a special physics education program. He decided to go into the Air Force first and then take advantage of the GI bill. He had to struggle to get into the Air Force because they initially disqualified him due to the osteomyelitis in his leg. His fight was successful and in 1954 he joined the Air Force for two years. In that time, he read Troubling of a Star, from the Korean War, about a fighter pilot who spotted for other pilots to drop napalm. It was about the ethical issues in the war, and what it felt like to wreak havoc on a country. After two years, he was offered his commission, but they made it contingent on his agreeing to stay in the Air Force for an extended time. He ended up refusing his commission and dropping out of the Air Force. However, the Air Force had a big impact on his life, and he often told fascinating stories of training and flying as an Air Force pilot.

In 1956 Jack came back to University of Michigan. He got his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (influenced in his choice of degree by John Slater, who later became the head of the Philosophy Department in Toronto, the biggest Philosophy department in the world). He met Ann Urschel in a psychology course at U of M, and they married.

From 1959 to 1966 Jack taught at Wayne State: History of Science, Math and Physics. In 1962 he and Ann had a daughter, Ruth. In 1968 the family went all over Europe for a year and a half, staying in Spain for a year. In Spain they lived in a small town called Jávea, on the east coast of Spain. Jack read, did some writing, socialized with the locals, and sometimes Ann & Jack would go with a group down to the rocky shore and gather sea urchins, which they ate raw with a spoon from the shell. After they came back from Europe they lived in Ann Arbor, and he taught at Highland Park Community College for 2 years.

In 1970 Jack and Ann divorced. He had several jobs for his good friend Darby: construction, driving a taxi, and doing some flying. He was a licensed flight instructor as well as instrument instructor. Jack lived various places such as above a bar in Ann Arbor, in a Detroit apartment near his friend John Pierce, and sometimes on farms. He went back to University of Michigan and got his master’s degree at U of M in Philosophy in 1971.

After graduating with his master’s degree from University of Michigan he started teaching at Washtenaw Community College (WCC). He ended up working there for 20 years. Overall, Jack dedicated much of his life to teaching – the largest part of his life, about 30 years, was devoted to teaching college physics, among other subjects, at Washtenaw Community College, Wayne State, Oakland, and Highland Park. That has been his biggest impact on the world – getting students over an entire generation to think more deeply about physics, relativity, and philosophy. One of his physics students at WCC was Chuck Gasporovic, who has since gone on to become a leading physicist who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

All throughout his life he has written books and short stories, and has also always been a prolific reader. He had a short story published (Teddy) in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, under the pseudonym John Maust.

While in Ann Arbor Jack was well known in the tennis community, and won the tennis tournament for the over-40’s division when he was 51. Tennis was always a big part of his life. For about 6 months he was the recreation director at University of Michigan Hospital, and he was also a nurse at the Veteran’s Rehabilitation Center that was part of the U of M Hospital.

He met and married Lauren Tracey, and they had a son Ryan in 1978. They lived in a house in Ann Arbor. Jack and Lauren managed a hotel together in Florida for several seasons. Lauren and Jack divorced when Ryan was still young.

While in Ann Arbor, he started dating Lois Work. In 1993 he retired from WCC and in 1995 he moved to the Bay Tree community in Vero Beach Florida, with Lois. They lived together there for nearly 30 years, and had many happy times together, going on trips, going out to night time events, and enjoying the beach, pool and their patio. One of their favorite vacation locations was Caneel Bay, where they often met family. For a long time he maintained the tennis courts at Bay Tree, and also played a lot of tennis. He stopped playing tennis in about 2013, when he was 78, due to health issues. He continued slalom waterskiing until he was about 72. In 2022 Jack moved to assisted living in Vero Beach, due to health issues.

Jack is survived by his daughter Ruth, son Ryan, grandsons Christopher, Patrick, and Brian, and long time companion Lois Work. The family is grieving privately at home; there will not be a formal service. A collection of photos from Jack’s life can be seen here:https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B275W35J9l0bzR