Jack Wintermute

John "Jack" W. Wintermute

Born on December 17, 1938 in Netcong, NJ. His parents Mary and Bill Wintermute welcomed Jack and his twin brother Bill (Louise) into their family which up to then consisted of Eileen (Bill) Oswin, Ginger (Robert) Castranova and Bette Wintermute Woods Price.

In school, Jack and Bill caused so much mischief and the duo needed to be split up. After graduating both fine young men joined the Marines in 1957. Jack worked stateside in Portsmouth, Virginia as a Discharge Sergeant and worked the rifle range as well.

After his service, Jack met and married his one and only true love Holly Fee in 1962, built a home in Clinton, NJ and started a beautiful family including Kim (Scott) Feeley, Shawn (Terry) Lydamore, Jeremy (Hiroko) Wintermute, and the youngest Jill Caruso.

Jack and family moved to Essex, NY in 1975 to a historic home named the Greystone overlooking Lake Champlain. After several years there, Jack purchased some land on Willsboro Mountain and began construction on a home made out of beams from an Essex barn. While running a carpet business at the bottom of the hill their house sat on, Jack purchased Long Pond cabins across from the trailhead to Rattlesnake Mountain and to restore and rent them out for nearly two decades.

Jack loved his family and community. If you didn't find him installing flooring in almost every home in the North Country, you would find him coaching Willsboro Warrior's girls basketball yelling to "Go to the basket!". He'd spend the warmer holidays driving his classic cars in the town parade with his granddaughter Leslie as his passenger, blaring Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis and tossing candy.

His greatest pleasure was watching his grandchildren, Leslie Feeley, Amanda (Terry) Pulsifer, Michael (Michelle) Feeley, Corey Feeley, Maya Wintermute, Lilia Wintermute, and Nicholas Caruso as well as his great-grandchildren, Sophie Pulsifer, Ella Pulsifer, Everett Feeley, and Jax Feeley.

Another love in Jack's life were his big dogs ranging from Newfies, Great Danes, Mastiffs, St. Bernards and Great Pyrenees. They were spoiled and got to ride shotgun with Jack to the local ice cream shop for a treat. Over the years Holly and Jack also cared for macaws, horses, goats, and Dudley the donkey.

After more than 60 years, Jack and Holly retired from the flooring business and Jack's Flooring became Jack's Collectibles which sold a large variety of antiques. His wife and children all lended a hand and made lots of memories helping him find and move his treasures home to his shop. The auctioneers will be sure to miss him as he was always the first one there and the last to leave with a completely stuffed van. Jack enjoyed each and every one of his customers sharing his best stories which somehow always came to his 1955 Ford Crown Vic. Thank you all for listening to his stories.

Jack's favorite topics of discussion would have to be, the beautiful view from the home he built on Willsboro Mountain, holding the medical record in Burlington hospital for the most heart stents ever implanted in one person (23 if you were curious), any kind of sports, his grandchildren and of course whatever deals he had made that week.

After 85 years, Jack passed away in the home he built overlooking Willsboro Bay just as he had wanted. May his memory continue to carry on in the hearts and minds of his fellow church members, those he worked with, his customers, and of course his friends and family.

Love you Pop!!

The family will not have any service but requests any donations can be sent to Willsboro-Essex EMS at PO Box 55, Essex, NY, 12936.

Arrangements were entrusted to Heidrick Funeral Home, 7521 Court St., Elizabethtown, NY.