Jack Pfluke passed away on November 15, 2013, at Stanford Hospital with family by his side.

He was born on June 17, 1931, in Peoria, Ill., to John William Pfluke and Lillian Ann Archer Pfluke. An only child, he had the quintessential 1940s American Midwest upbringing. He met his wife, Sybil Hochguertel, when he was an Air Force Lieutenant at a radar station near to her hometown in Germany in 1956. He earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from St. Louis University. Sybil joined him in St. Louis, where they married in 1957. After living in State College, Pennsylvania where Jack earned his PhD in Geophysics, they moved to Alexandria, Virginia, then to San Francisco in 1965, and settled in Palo Alto in 1974.

Jack and Sybil and their five children loved to ski, camp, and water ski together. Jack was a consummate joker, loved a good party, and was the earliest of bicycle commuters. He spent his working days at the United States Geological Survey where he studied earthquakes, and spent his free time playing handball with his good friends, a sport he enjoyed until the last few years of his life. He was truly a lifelong learner, puzzling over math textbooks, learning foreign languages, and endlessly challenging his brain. The house was filled with laughter and activity, and the family took several memorable cross-country driving vacations as well as played lots of games. Jack was an active member of his community and St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, singing in the choir for many years, and was also an active member and longtime officer of the Palo Alto Elks Club.

Jack is survived by his five children: Lillian Pfluke, Teresa Pfluke Barnes, John Pfluke, Christine Pfluke Murakami and Paul Pfluke, and by 11 grandchildren.

Friends and family are invited to attend the funeral Mass at St. Albert the Great Church at 1095 Channing Avenue on Sunday, November 24 at 2:00 p.m.