John William "Jack" Barthel, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, died peacefully of Alzheimer's Disease Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at his home in Uxbridge MA, surrounded by family. He was 96.
"Jack" was born October 11, 1929, in Lincoln, Illinois, to Eric Barthel and Lillie (Schaffenacker) Barthel. He graduated from high school in Pekin, Illinois and went on to the University of Illinois, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 1951 and a Ph.D in comparative linguistics and Germanic languages in 1965. He acquired a professorship in German and Linguistics at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, and served there until his retirement in 1990.
In 1955, while serving in the US Army, Jack married the love of his life, Paula Ruth Jones. Their son Rand was born in 1956. The family followed Jack's academic career, living in Urbana, Illinois and Hanover, New Hampshire before settling in Michigan.
In 1974 Rand came to Massachusetts to pursue his education and settled here. He met and married his wife Carolyn (Crosby) Barthel in 1985. When Rand and Carolyn's twins were born in 1990, Jack and Paula decided to retire and move here. They designed and built their house in Uxbridge and moved to it in 1996.
A product of his Lutheran upbringing, having left that form of faith behind, Jack believed that life was a serious business that should be undertaken in a spirit of play. We will miss his kindness, earnestness, intelligence, and impish sense of humor. He was passionate about truth and knowledge, and at the same time relished the essential absurdity of it all. He was especially passionate about language, and fulfilled that passion by becoming a professor. He was also a lover of music, science, nature, and birds. How many people do you know who bring a pair of binoculars to church?
Jack is survived by Paula, his wife of 71 years; his son Rand, daughter-in-law Carolyn, grandchildren Jonathan and Margaret, and great-grandson Logan.
Arrangements are under the care of the Ginley Funeral Home of Franklin (ginleyfuneralhomes.com).