Jacob "Jack" Aaron Saxe's Obituary
On Saturday evening March 15th, Jacob Aaron ( Jack ) Saxe of Fort Myers Florida passed away after a brief battle with cancer, age 91.
Jack leaves behind three sons, Jeffrey of NYC, and Daniel and Steven of Fort Myers FL.
He is also survived by his nephews Andy, Joey, Tracey, Gary and niece Lisa.
Jack was the youngest of three boys. He loved his brothers Perry and Stanley Saxe, and missed them dearly after they passed. He cherished his family.
He will also be missed terribly by a close group of friends and admirers who participated with him in his many passions over the years.
Jack was born in 1934 in New Haven Connecticut. He attended Hillhouse High School and then with the help of his father and beloved mother Tilly, joined the Air Force at age 17. He served as a mechanic and was stationed in Japan during the Korean War, developing an enduring love of the Japanese culture that would serve him later in life.
He attended the University of Connecticut, Storrs on the GI Bill after an honorable discharge, graduating with a degree in Accounting and then graduating the University of Connecticut School of Law. He took and passed his Bar Exam on his first son Jeffrey's birthday in May of 1963.
While at UConn Jack met his wife Anita ( nee Fink ). They would marry, settle in Bloomfield, CT and have two more boys, Daniel and Steven.
Jack's career path led him to public service. He was employed by the State of Connecticut, rising through the ranks to become Chief Clerk of the Juvenile Courts. In his last few years with the State of Connecticut he accepted an appointment as a Magistrate and had earned a reputation as a fair, no nonsense judge before he fully retired in the mid 1990s as "The Honorable Jacob Saxe". He chose this over a more lucrative corporate law career in order to have family time and pursue other interests outside of work.
He coached Little League, led family camping trips in an infamous leaky pop-up trailer, and took weekend boat trips with Dan and Steve, fishing Long Island Sound for Bluefish on his 24 foot cabin cruiser. Jack loved spending time with his three sons.
Jack's public service was not only a career choice. It was who he was. He was a member of the Bloomfield Volunteer Fire Department for more than 20 years. He became a certified Scuba diver and engaged in search and recovery missions in addition to fighting fires. One of his proudest accomplishments was establishing the Junior Auxiliary to allow high school students opportunities for self development and to train to become future firefighters. He retired as Assistant Chief.
Jack retired to Fort Myer Beach Florida and eventually settled in Fort Myers proper. Here he continued his passion for boating, and found another: motorcycling. Riding was among the greatest joys of his life. He said it gave him a unique, unmatched, and total sense of freedom. He logged over 100,000 miles on his customized Harley Davidson Heritage Classic, enjoying making friends in every state and seeing every major national park in the contiguous US and also Alaska as well as every province of Canada. He continued riding until well past the age of 80.
Jack began to study martial arts at the age most people start to retire, 65. Under the guidance of Sensei Hilmar Fuchs, 8th dan, Jack learned Thai Chi and earned black belts in Karate and Kobudo ( sword ) practice. Hilmar and his wife Marlene, also an instructor, would become cherished friends through the rest of Jack’s life, enriching it and adding joy and deep meaning to it.
Jack loved all things mechanical. Upon seeing a magnificent piece of machinery, be it a car, truck, fire engine, plane or boat, he would often stop, transfixed with the pleasure of a teenage boy. He also loved watching sports. He was a lifelong Red Sox fan and lived and breathed UConn Men’s and Women’s basketball, season in and season out and reveled in every championship.
There is a Jewish proverb about a man on a ship departing one shore and his loved ones are crying out in grief and sorrow and waving goodbye - calling out we love you. But as the same ship approaches the far shore there are as many loved ones waving and crying out in joyful ecstasy- welcome home again we love you.
After a full, interesting and accomplished life, Jack has left us. But he is being welcomed home by so many. His mother Tilly, His aunts Edith and Sally and Lil, his brothers Stanley and Perry, his cousin Jackie Evans, hometown friends Don and Sandy Belleveau, Pete and Jan Crombie and Florida best friend Tom Carson and many many more.
Rejoice!
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