John Joseph “Jack” Hentges
John Joseph “Jack” Hentges died Monday, December 1, 2025, at home. He was 77.
Born November 24, 1948, in Cleveland, Ohio, he was the son of William J. and Virginia C. (Tyrrell) Hentges. His parents preceded him in death.
Jack graduated from St. John Cantius High School in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood and attended Cleveland State University before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in the late 1960s. In the service, he specialized in jet aircraft airframes and powerplants while stationed at the former Barbers Point Naval Air Station in Hawaii and aboard the USS Independence (CV-62) in the Mediterranean.
Upon discharge, Jack pursued a degree from the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, and spent his career as a mechanic with United Airlines, serving at major airports in San Francisco, Chicago, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
A meticulous technician and devoted historian, Jack had a lifelong interest in vehicles old and new. As a teenager, he was the major force behind the restoration of a 1923 Model T Ford, the first of several early autos the family owned. He once drove “the T” from Cleveland to Alexandria Bay in New York’s Thousand Islands region. He worked for a time with restoration specialist Dale Adams Enterprises in Northeast Ohio, and also restored several of his own antique cars and motorcycles. His interest in mechanical restoration extended to very early clocks and coin-operated machines.
Jack’s appreciation for antiques was spurred by his parents’ decision to settle in an early 1800s home in Hinckley, Ohio, where a family focus was on antique furnishings and vintage cars. Growing up, Pine Hills Golf Course was an endless source of exploration and entertainment. In Hookstown, he enjoyed seeing neighborhood pilots come and go from the airstrip behind his home.
Jack is survived by two brothers, William and James, both of Michigan; a sister and brother-in-law, Mary Alice and Mitch Casey, of Columbus, Ohio; and many nieces and nephews.
The family welcomes friends to a gathering from 6:30 to 7:30 pm Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at MCCONNELL FUNERAL HOME, 447 Pine St., Hookstown, Pennsylvania. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery, Brook Park, Ohio.
