John Francis Juraschek

John Francis Juraschek died on Sunday, May 25, 2014. He was born on September 1, 1919 in Jamaica, Queens, New York, the son of Frank and Laura Lankenau Juraschek.

Jack attended Hamilton College where he belonged to the Sigma Phi Fraternity, until he joined the U.S. Coast Guard as a commissioned officer. He served in the North Atlantic during WWII.

After WWII, he worked for McGraw-Hill as a representative for Business Week magazine in New York City and Stamford, CT, for 30 years.

Jack and his wife, Sylvia, of 62 years, traveled extensively around the world. After he retired from McGraw-Hill, they moved to Beaufort, SC, where he worked as a travel agent and then relocated to Lake Norman. He and Sylvia moved to Grace Ridge in Morganton in 1994. Sylvia died in 2005.

Throughout his life, Jack was an avid sailor, racing in regattas and open-ocean competition.He is survived by his second wife, Jeanne; sons, Theodore, John, William and Richard; daughter, Nancy; seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.Jack was a member of First Baptist Church, Morganton.Those who knew him, know that when St. Peter asked if he was ready to come aboard, Jack replied "Gr-r-r !!! Absolutely."Memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m., Monday, May 26, 2014 in the Colonial Chapel of Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center with Dr. Thomas A. Bland, Jr. officiating. The family will receive friends at the funeral home following the service.Memorial contributions may be made to Grace Ridge Friendship Fund, Grace Ridge Retirement Community, 500 Lenoir Rd., Morganton, NC 28655.

Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family.