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John E. "Jack" Holtzinger Jr., 90, Frederick, Md., died Friday, surrounded by his family.
He was born in Altoona, son of the late John E. and Esther Holtzinger.
Surviving are his children: Lou Ann Eader and husband, Granison "Butch" Eader, of Blue Bell, Kathy Conner of Mechanicsburg, Grethen Levine and husband, Eric, of Frederick, Md., Jeff Holtzinger and wife, Pam, of Frederick, Md., and Kim Whiteley and husband, Doug, of Frederick, Md.; 14 grandchildren: Ted Eader, John Edward Holtzinger IV (Jamie), Brian Holtzinger (Samantha), Lauren Conner Neuberger (Daniel), Greg Conner, Ben Conner, Casey Conner, Erica Levine Boccia (Brian), Alex Levine, Caitlin Holtzinger Pelser (Jacques), Ali Holtzinger, Will Holtzinger (Stacie Lynch), Kylee Holtzinger and Marc Whiteley; eight great-grandchildren: Amelia Boccia, Finn Boccia, Malachi Neuberger, Levi Neuberger, Kay Neuberger and twins, Brennan and Chase Holtzinger and their younger brother, Parker Holtzinger; a sister, Susan Mezey in New York; a brother, Albert Holtzinger in Pennsylvania; a sister-in-law, Muriel Waterfield in Delaware; and more than two dozen nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ann J. Holtzinger, who was his high school sweetheart. He missed Ann with all his heart. They married on March 26, 1951, and lived to celebrate their 60th anniversary before Ann's passing. He was also preceded in death by a son, John E. Holtzinger III; two sisters: Marjorie (Dean) Helsel and Louise (Fred) White; and a brother-in-law, George Mezey.
Jack was a graduate of Altoona High School. In 1950, he graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor's degree in mineral economics, and he earned a Juris Doctor from George Washington University in 1956. He raised six children and had resided in Frederick since 1961. When he was not practicing law in Washington, D.C., he enjoyed riding his horses and working on his farm in Braddock, where he raised various livestock, and he enjoyed walking the farm with his Rottweiler pals. He also owned operating farms around his beloved hometown of Altoona. In addition, he was a proud member of the Gastronomical Order of Rattling Reptiles in Central Pennsylvania.
He and his wife enjoyed their "membership" in the Saturday Night Crowd in Frederick. Over the years, they and other members met regularly on Saturday nights for annual Christmas parties and summer vacations in Ocean City. Most of all, Jack was a dedicated husband and a great father, grandfather and great-grandfather who took great pride in providing for his family.
Jack spent the majority of his career practicing law in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in energy law. He started his legal career with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, eventually becoming a section head in the firm's D.C. office. He then joined other energy lawyers to form the boutique energy law firm of Newman Holtzinger. Among other clients, Jack served as outside counsel for Atlanta Gas Light Co. and Consolidated Natural Gas in Pittsburgh. During his career, he was recognized as one of the Top 25 Energy Lawyers in the United States. He was admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States; was a member of the D.C. Bar; and joined the Frederick County, Md., Bar Association upon his retirement from his D.C. Law practice.
Jack also will be remembered by his dedicated and kind caregivers, Latricia Brown and Carolyn Mealy. The family is eternally grateful for their kind, dedicated and loving care. The family also wants to thank the Frederick Memorial Hospital and staff, as well as the Frederick County Fire and Rescue staff for the professional and compassionate care that Jack received. The family also gratefully acknowledges the fine care provided by his doctors over the years: Austin Pearre, Gregory Rausch, Ali Afrokteh, Max Wingerd, Steven Brand, Robert Kaufman, Neil Waravdekar, Michael Tolino, Nirmal Shah, Anwar Malik, Matthew Yeatman, Gerald Winnan, Elhamy Eskander and Marcia Shaw.
Friends will be received from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, at Keeney Basford Funeral Home, 106 E. Church St., Frederick, Md. A memorial service to celebrate Jack's life will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Jack's memory may be made to Ted and Esther Endowed Scholarship at the Altoona Campus of Penn State University online at raise.psu.edu, or to the FMH Cancer Center or the FMH Stroke Center, 400 W. Seventh St., Frederick, MD 21701.
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