August 16, 1934 - November 27, 2020
Belleville, Pennsylvania - John "Jack" Albert Winter, 86, of Boalsburg, died on Friday, November 27, 2020, at Valley View Retirement Community, Belleville.
Born August 16, 1934 in Altoona, he was the son of J. Albert and Eleanor Geist Winter. Jack married Kathleen "Kay" Ann Springer, in June of 1956, who predeceased him in 2015.
Jack is survived by his son, Mark Winter and wife, Susan Rippin, of Wilmington, DE; and daughter, Jennifer Case and husband, David, of Mechanicsburg, PA. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Sandra Smith.
Jack was a 1952 graduate of Altoona High School and was the senior class president. He is a 1956 graduate of Penn State University with a BA in General Arts and Sciences and a minor in Russian Area Studies. In addition, he completed the advanced Air Force ROTC course and received a Certificate of Entitlement.
Jack began his formal career with the National Security Agency in Washington DC as an Intelligence Research Analyst. He subsequently volunteered for active duty with the U.S. Navy and, following boot camp, was assigned to the same NSA job he had begun as a civilian. Following an Honorable Character of Service discharge, he joined the General Electric Company's Computer Department in Arlington, VA.
In 1961, Jack moved to State College, PA to join the HRB-Singer engineering company as an Intelligence Analyst. In 1969, Jack took a position with the Penn State University as a Systems Analyst retiring from PSU in 1996 as Director of the Personal Computer Information Center. Over his career at the university, he represented Penn State as Treasurer, Vice-president, and President of the PRIDE Users Association, an international data processing group. He also represented the university on the State of Pennsylvania's University and College Systems Council, and served on the Data Processing Board of Directors for the Central Intermediate Unit 10, an organization dedicated to excellence in education.
Jack was involved in numerous volunteer organizations. He served as treasurer and vice-president of the State College JCs and served as a deacon of the State College Area Presbyterian Church. Jack was very active with the Masonic fraternity from the age of 21. He ascended the Masonic ranks to eventually become Worshipful Master of the Old Fort Lodge. For his service and devotion to the Masonic fraternity, he was presented the highest honor with the Hiram Award in 2015.
As a child, Jack studied tap dancing, performing at venues such as the Jaffa Mosque in Altoona. As an adult Jack taught beginning tap at a local dance studio in State College. He was active in the Mid-State Corvette Club, actively showing his '74 Corvette in competitions. Jack was an ardent supporter of his Alma Maters. He served as the PSU Liberal Arts Alumni Association President from 1980 – 1982. He also served on the Altoona High School Alumni Association Board of Directors for many years, and was a committee member of the AAHS Alumni Band.
His true sports passion was skiing. He was a member of the National Ski Patrol for four decades, serving as Patrol Director, Section Chief, and Regional Director of the Western Appalachian Region of PA. He was awarded the National Ski Patrol Yellow Merit Star Award for lifetime achievement for his many years of service.
Jack was a devoted husband and father. He loved to visit national and historical parks, taking his family on site seeing trips throughout the US. He instilled a love of the outdoors in his children, which included many camping and skiing trips to New England and throughout the country. He once skied 100,000 vertical feet in one week at Jackson Hole in Wyoming. He was also a voracious reader and avid historian.
No funeral service has been planned at this time. Memorial contributions may be directed to Valley View Retirement Community, 4702 E Main St, Belleville, PA 17004, in memory of John A. Winter.
Arrangements are under the care of Henderson Funeral Home Inc., 3813 West Main Street, Belleville, PA. 17004. Online condolences may be offered at www.hendersonfuneralhomes.net.