Posted on 03/31/2022
Jack Peter Janetatos (November 16, 1934 - March 29, 2022)
Jack Peter Janetatos of Amherst, Virginia, died on March 29, 2022, of heart failure. He was born in New York, N.Y., on November 16, 1934, the son of Peter Janetatos, a Greek immigrant, and Estelle Grocki, the daughter of Polish immigrants.
He grew up in Connecticut and graduated from Plainfield High School in 1952. He then entered the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, and graduated in June of 1956. He spent five years at sea, first in the destroyer USS Power and then in the submarine USS Thornback. He left active duty in the Navy in 1961 and attended Georgetown Law School where he received the degrees of Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1964 and Master of Laws in 1966.
He began work as an associate attorney at the law firm of Baker & McKenzie in 1964 and was elected to partnership in the firm in 1968. He remained with the firm until his retirement in 1995 when he moved to a farm in Amherst to grow grapes and breed show horses. In addition to his work as a lawyer and farmer, in 1968 he took the position of Chairman of the Board of the Marine Machinery Association, the trade association for the manufacturers of the machinery used in Navy ships. He remained in that position until 2015 working with the manufacturers and the shipyards to maintain the quality of Navy shipboard machinery.
Jack's professional accomplishments speak for themselves, but his joy was found in captaining a sailboat in the islands, travelling to Italy and France to enjoy ancient culture, fine food and wine, and watching the sunset over the mountains from his back porch on the farm. Jack's passion, however, was cooking. He could prepare a meal for any occasion, from a full course dinner to homemade pizza in his brick oven. He never used a recipe book – Jack just knew what needed to be done to make it perfectly every time.
He is survived by his wife, Anna Marie Moore, a classical archaeologist, and three children, John Peter Janetatos (Theresa), Kathleen Mary Smith (Leroy), and Ann Louise Braun (David); stepdaughter, Lydia Schoeck (Brian); and nine grandchildren.
He will be inurned in a private ceremony on his farm on the banks of the Tye River.
Byrum-Parr Funeral Home, Inc.
7661 Patrick Henry Highway
Roseland, VA 22967
4342775194
Published by Amherst New Era-Progress on Mar. 31, 2022.