- JACK EDWARD HUNGER: age 82, of Rocky River, passed away Wednesday, May 31, 2017.
Remembrance below by Frederick Miller Hunger (Son)
He truly was a unique and special man. Positive, kind, industrious, persevering, personal, and all with a great sense of humor and a huge laugh. He had a way of making whoever he spoke to feel special and as if he/she were the only one in the whole world at that moment - A true gift. Jack was a real connector of people, and loved helping people and remembered the little things which would make a difference.
I have an early childhood memory about something Jack said in and around the time of his father's passing. I distinctly remember Jack telling me "that his father never said a bad or negative word about anyone" ? and I believe it had a huge impact on how Jack lived his life.
So a little history on Jack?.
He was born in Lorain, OH and is the 5th of 6 children. His father, Fred (kinda like that name?), worked his entire career on board lake freighters working his way from being a coal handler to ultimately, Chief Engineer. Jack spent many a summer on board ships with his father and hence his love of ships, sailing, and anything in and around the water.
His entrepreneurial spirit began at a young age?Jack was thirteen when he started his first business. A newspaper business. Jack had what we would call now an old fashion type setting/printing machine which he would use to create his own mini-papers. Local info, jokes, little sayings, etc. Each issue had to be completely set by hand, upside down and backwards?, and then hand cranked through to produce the papers. I know because I got one for Christmas when I was about 10?.but it didn't last long with me ? And he sold these papers throughout his neighborhood. Very cool! These literary roots had an impact as he later became the manager of the Kings Point magazine during his college years, Board member of the Rocky River Public Library, and was also the historian at CYC for many years.
Jack went to high school in Lorain, and as we grew up we were often treated to a resounding rendition of the Lorain High School fight song?..On the Shores of Old Lake Erie where the Coal and Iron meet?.he would carry on and then burst out in his thunderous laugh?.perhaps one his brother Tom will belt it out later after a cocktail?
Moving on to college, he spent one year at The Ohio State University where he had the great fortune to meet the love of his life, Helene (more on that later)?. The next year he transferred to Kings Point, The US Merchant Marine Academy, where he was trained as a deck officer, spent his time in the US Navy, and then joined the shipping company Grace Line (part of the W.R. Grace Co).
So it's now 1959 and the St. Lawrence Seaway opened up the Great Lakes to international shipping ? Grace Line decided to bring their ships into the Lakes and Jack seized the opportunity to get ashore, raising his hand to become the Port Captain in Chicago. The next season in 1960, however, Grace Line decided the Lakes wasn't for them, and ended their Great Lakes service.
Jack, determined to remain in the Midwest, and being the entrepreneur that he was - took the opportunity to start World Shipping ? and the rest?. is history? I won't recount all the details, but he moved the business to Cleveland and now, some 57 years later ? the company has a global reach, is in all facets of international shipping from ocean, air, trucks, trains, container yards, and warehousing. The key, of course, is the team which makes it all happen ? and Jack was a master at attracting talent to the organization. He was not a micro-manager, but believed in his people and encouraged them to build and grow the company. "Two heads are better than one" was always his motto, -and -"you can't be a one-man shipping company" ? so he assembled a great team, and let them do their thing. While Jack had plenty of confidence and a presence which would fill the room as he entered, he was always eager to let others be rewarded for the successes. "So much more can be accomplished if it doesn't matter who gets the credit" ? he would say.
Many people have reminded me of one of Jack's traditions when he would visit the different offices?he had outfitted each office with a large, glass, air tight?cookie jar. And Oreos was the brand of choice. Everyone always looked forward to his visits?..for obvious reasons as he would replenish the supply.
The Story of Jack would not be complete without his first mate, Helene. I mentioned they met during their freshman year at Ohio State (on a blind date coordinated by one of Jack's friends). After transferring to King's Point, the next 3 years ensued a long distance romance filled with letters and many many cross country hitch hikes from Long Island to Columbus, Ohio ? and back. They married once Helene finished up at OSU in 1956 and she moved to New York as Jack finished up at King's Point, after which he went to sea.
The two of them developed a love of travel. As Jack was busy building the business, he became president of an industry organization for shipping agents called ASBA. ASBA was part of a global organization called FONASBA ? aka the perfect alibi to travel worldwide on "company business" ?. All kidding aside, they indeed traveled the world. Jack first got the bug on board vessels having sailed around the world during his days as a merchant mariner. He and Helene visited most places in the World, and loved to explore new cultures, food, people (and beverages). They went to Europe, South America, South Africa, Southeast Asia, China, Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, Norway and the list goes on. It would be way easier to list the places they have NOT been to?
After Jack's stroke, part of his physical and speech therapy was building scrap books of photos and memorabilia from their travels - they read like a world atlas picture book. Even after his stroke he and Helene wouldn't accept sitting still?.so off they went including a bareboat trip to the BVI on a beautiful Grand Banks Trawler (together with the Busches and Kempers), Disney World with the entire family in 2000, some Great Lakes cruises, winters in Florida and many others. Life did not slow down after his stroke.
This August will be 21 years since Jack's stroke which took effectively his right side, and his speech. If you want to remember what Jack's voice sounded like, just talk to Jack's brother Tom for a few minutes.
Jack loved boats ? he joined CYC in 1965, and became Commodore in 1983. After sailing for years in the Yankee fleet with Charlie Steigerwald and Bob Sessions he purchased an Ar-Com and went on to win many fleet championships. In 1981 Jack acquired a new CrackerJack ? a Moody 36 - which was built in England. He had the boat shipped across the Atlantic on one of the steamship lines that World Shipping represented then, (ACL), and he was very happy when they agreed to move the boat as 'ship's gear' which translated into? free shipping??
Jack lived a full life and gave of himself freely to many organizations - but Jack was truly a family man, always placing family life ahead of the business. He had a knack for work ? life balance. Jack enjoyed family vacations on boats ? first introducing us to bare-boating in the BVI in the early 70's way before mooring balls, gps, and luxurious catamarans. These were old narrow mono-hulls and a family of 6 aboard a 40 foot sailboat?.created a?shall we say?.a tight family???
He and Helene and the family had many good years cruising aboard CrackerJack going to the North Channel for weeks at a time over many summers (often with other cruising couples such as the Shriers, Wismars, Sessions, Cruses, Opdykes and the Busches). One season they took the boat all the way around Lake Superior and back and enjoyed different legs of this journey with each of us kids and our spouses. Even on these trips which had the benefit of gps technology, Jack would continue to plot our course on paper charts, and he always kept a daily log onboard, of details of the day ? all part of his King's Point training.
Jack and Helene were a wonderful, great team and provide us all with an amazing example of what true love is. We all know the vow ? "for better or for worse"?and those of us who have witnessed Jack and Helene over these last 20 years know that we have seen one of the greatest love stories of our time. Helene, on behalf of Jack ? thank you.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Frederick and Florence, and siblings, Anne Engel and Frederick Hunger.
Beloved husband of Helene K. Hunger (n?ee Kaiser); loving father of John Hunger (Jodee) of Bay Village, Jane Colazzo of Avon Lake, Nancy Outcalt (Andy) of Avon Lake, and Fred Hunger (Marilyn) of Rocky River; cherished grandfather of Jenna, Jess, John Robert, Anthony, Trevor, Daniel, Kate, A.J., Emily, Jack, and Allison, and great-grandfather of Camden; dear brother of Marilyn White, Charles Hunger, and Tom Hunger.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be forwarded to Hospice of the Western Reserve, 17876 St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44110 or the Rocky River Public Library, 1600 Hampton Road, Rocky River, Ohio 44116.
A funeral service will be held at Rocky River United Methodist Church, 19414 Detroit Road, Rocky River, on Tuesday, June 6, 2017 at 11:00 am. Interment to follow at Lakewood Park Cemetery. Friends may call at the Busch Funeral Home, 21369 Center Ridge Road, Fairview Park, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm and 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Monday, June 5, 2017.
https://obits.cleveland.com/us/obituaries/cleveland/name/jack-hunger-obituary?id=7944509
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1934 - 2017 (82 years)
