IRVINGTON—John M. “Jack” Jennings, 99, died on May 17, 2026, at Rappahannock Westminster-Canterbury in Irvington. He was pre-deceased by his wife, Julann Jennings.
Born on April 29, 1932, he was a native of Washington, D.C., and graduated from Catholic University of America in 1953, with a degree in electrical engineering. His naval flight training occurred in Pensacola, Fla., where he was commissioned as an ensign. He received his Navy wings in 1955. He served with the Air Anti-submarine Squadron 39 in Quonset Point, R.I., until 1957, flying the S2F tracker, and serving aboard four separate aircraft carriers.
He joined the Naval Reserve in Washington, joining Squadron #661, and was re-called to active duty in 1968 during the USS Pueblo seizure by North Korea. He retired in 1979, with the rank of captain.
Jack began his civilian career as an engineer in the research division of American Machine & Foundry Co., Alexandria, designing and building high-power switching systems for radio communications. Customers included the US Air Force, AT&T, Clark AFB, and Satellite Tracking Ships. He later became vice-president of Adelphi Builders, specializing in commercial construction within shopping centers and malls.
In 1976, Jack worked for the U.S. Department of Energy as a program manager for the Office of Fossil Energy, doing advanced research in coal gasification. He retired in 1992 and moved with his wife Julann to Mollusk, where he was an active member of Flotilla 33 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. He was also an active volunteer pharmacy technician at the Northern Neck-Middlesex Free Health Clinic in Kilmarnock.
Jack was a life member of the Military Officers Association of America, the Reserve Officers Association, the United States Naval Institute, and the Naval Reserve Association. He was a parishioner at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Kilmarnock and was also a member of the Knights of Columbus, and of the Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Aeronautical Historical Society.
Survivors include two stepchildren, Frances Wolf of Paris, France, and Dennis Barton of Annandale; and his niece, Jeanette Austin of East Bradenton, Fla., and many other family members.
A Requiem Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, May 22, at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Kilmarnock. The family will receive friends from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday, May 21, at Currie Funeral Home in Kilmarnock.
