Jack Irwin Laveson

Jack Laveson, age 77, of Annandale, Virginia passed away on August 11th, 2022, surrounded by his family. Jack was preceded in death by his parents, S. Frank Laveson and Lillian (Henkin) Laveson. He is survived by his wife, Diane White, their children, Rachel Laveson (Nicholas Barendregt) and Sam Laveson, and his sister Sandra Ninfo (Mario). He also leaves behind many loving family members as well as friends and colleagues. Jack was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 16th, 1945. He received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Lehigh University in 1967 and went on to earn his master of science in electrical engineering at Drexel University in 1969 and his doctorate in environmental science and human factors at Drexel University in 1972. After college, Jack worked for many years as an independent contractor for several agencies of the federal government, designing user-friendly software interfaces. He went on to assist students in his field, teaching advanced courses for the Systems Engineering department at George Mason University even after he had retired from contracting work. Jack spoke often of his teaching work and took great pride in instructing the new generation of engineers. Jack also served in the Army Reserves, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. For all his professional achievements, the part of his life that brought Jack the most joy was his family. After years of searching for a partner, he met his beloved wife Diane at a Smithsonian singles lecture about bats. Jack and Diane married three years later and welcomed their daughter Rachel later that year. Although not generally a demonstrative person, Jack was moved to tears at the sight of his daughter. A year and a half later, he was equally overjoyed to meet his son Sam. After his children were born, Jack cut back significantly on his work hours so that he could spend more time with them. Jack had an easygoing nature and seemingly boundless patience. He was happiest spending time with his family, scouring eBay for hard-to-find spare parts for his 1996 Camry, or taking naps on the sofa with a warm cat or two. He also enjoyed reading or listening to detective novels, and he collaborated on an as yet unpublished suspense novel. He loved being helpful, especially by finding manuals and schematics online so he could help friends with electrical repairs. Jack and Diane enjoyed traveling and took many trips together over their 27 years of marriage. Every summer for sixteen years they spent a week with their children at The Tyler Place, a family resort on Lake Champlain. The family also enjoyed several close-up encounters with red pandas and lemurs at The Good Zoo in Wheeling, West Virginia. When the children were older, Jack visited Israel for the first time in the spring of 2018. Jack’s funeral service will take place on August 15, 2002, at 11:30AM at Temple Rodef Shalom, 2100 Westmoreland Street, Falls Church, VA 22043. The interment will take place at 1:00PM at National Memorial Park, 7482 Lee HIghway, Falls Church, VA 22042. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Jack’s memory to the following organizations: ● The Nature Conservancy, www.nature.org ● 4Paws Rescue Team, fourpaws.org ● WETA, weta.org The family also encourages everyone who can do so to give blood.

Tributes

Jack Irwin Laveson

May 16, 1945 - August 11, 2022