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Obituary for John F. Geist Jr.

John F.  Geist Jr.
Jack Geist Sept 21, 1920-May 21, 2018 Long time Grandview-on-Hudson resident and former Mayor, Jack Geist went to be with the Lord on Monday, he was 97 years and 7 months.
Viewing will be held at Hannemann Funeral Home, Inc. on Thursday from 2-4pm and from 6-8 pm. Funeral Service will be held at the First Reformed Church in Piermont at 11 am on Friday.
Born to John F. and Lucy Geist in 1920, John F.Geist, Jr., affectionately called “Jack” by his many friends lived at 25 River Road for 62 years, since 1951, making him the longest resident of Grandview-on-Hudson. Jack was a WWII army veteran at the rank of staff Sergeant stationed mainly at Stewart Field, Newburgh. He was elected Mayor twice. Jack married Betty Marie Rumpeltes on March 11th of 1947. She preceded him in death in 1988. Jack worked for 16 years for LIFE magazine. He was a layout artist and was responsible for the paste-up of the famous John F. Kennedy assassination sequence made from the film footage by Abraham Zapruder in 1963. He also was part of the LIFE production team flown to London for Winston Churchill' s funeral in 1965. When the original magazine folded in 1972, he went to work for TIME magazine until his retirement in 1986. It was during his years at TIME that he took up the art of origami. A dedicated folder, he met and worked with Alice Grey and Lilly Oppenheimer and was a member of the British origami society as well as Origami USA. He amassed some 1,500 books and pamphlets on origami, about half being in Japanese. Jack was also a long time member of the First Reformed Church in Piermont having served as deacon, elder, and classis representative at various times during his membership. But his greatest joy was his faith and his family. He was beloved by those who knew him. Jack was a devoted Christian; kind and gentle. He laughed easily and enjoyed life.
Jack is survived by his daughter Carol (Geist) Byrd and Husband Jimmie, of North Carolina; and granddaughter Staphanie and great granddaughter Tabitha; son William and wife Roberta (Pendell) Geist of Montgomery, New York; and granddaughters Thea ; Margaret Jane Bruner Geist of Montgomery, Katherine (Geist) Tobin and husband Darryl of Fountain, Colorado. Great-grandchildren Jose Felix, 3rd of Port Jervis, N.Y., Anselmo and Pilar Lucas (Thea's children), Jaelin Emma, Anora Rayelle, Tayah Noelle and Novalee Gwen Tobin.
Hannemann Funeral Home, Inc.
Nyack, NY ~ (845) 358-0573
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