Obituary of Reverend Jack H. Traugott

Traugott, Reverend Jack H. 83, of South Salem, NY passed away on March 2, 2016 after a short illness surrounded by family and friends. Pastor Jack was born on January 2, 1933 in Rochester, NY to the late Jack and Dorothy (Griffey) Traugott. He graduated from the University of Buffalo in 1954 and from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in 1957. He was ordained on June 19, 1957 at Zion Lutheran Church in Niagara Falls. He became the pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church, Bronx, NY where he stayed for 15 years. During that time he also became a Pastoral Counselor and began counseling at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Pleasantville, NY. He was Associate Pastor at Emmanuel and became Senior Pastor until he ‘retired’ in 1996. After a short time, he realized he wanted to continue to serve and became Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Greenwood Lake, NY, serving until his death. Jack was a runner, pilot, sports enthusiast, traveler, and wine connoisseur. He touched the lives of many and will be greatly missed. Pastor Jack is the beloved husband of Helen M. (Murphy) Traugott and is the loving father of Donna Colucci, Jennifer and Patrick Hickey, Dean and Siobhan Hansen, Helen and Steve Johnson, and Christa Hansen. He is the devoted grandfather of fourteen. Family will receive friends at Clark Associates Funeral Home, Katonah, NY on Saturday, March 5th from 2-4 and 7-9 pm and on Sunday, March 6th from 3-7 pm . The funeral service will be celebrated on Monday, March 7th at 11am at Emanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church located at 197 Manville Road, Pleasantville, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Jack H. Traugott Seminarian Fund or the Emmanuel Library Fund. Both can be sent to Emmanuel Lutheran Church at 197 Manville Rd, Pleasantville, NY 10570.