Jackie Leroy "Jack" Mongold

Jackie Leroy “Jack” Mongold involuntarily resigned from his earthly labors on September 16, 2026, at his home in Moscow, Maryland.

Born March 2, 1938, in Franklin, Maryland, Jack was the son of William Mongold and Nina Mongold Symons.

Jack is survived by Zennia May Mongold, his wife of 70 years; their four children, Brenda Lee Clark, widow of Dale; Timothy Leroy Mongold and wife Sue; Linda Sue Shreve and husband Ken; and Tammy Joy Barrett and husband Greg; thirteen grandchildren; and eighteen great-grandchildren.

He is also survived by his siblings Richard “Dick” Mongold (Janet), Charlie Symons (Rebecca), James “Jim” Symons (Dana), Nancy Crowe (Ivan), Diana Grady (Rob), and Kay Clark (James, Jr - deceased).

He was preceded in death by his parents; his son-in-law, Dale Clark; and his siblings Joseph “Dot” Mongold, William “Billy” Mongold, Shirley “Cookie” Broadwater, Dave Mongold, and Thomas “Tom” Symons.

Jack graduated from Valley High School in 1956, where he was a star inside left and scoring leader for the Black Knights’ three-time — and undefeated — Western Maryland Interscholastic Soccer League champions. He then served his country for four years in the United States Army, attaining the rank of Specialist E-4, before eventually beginning a long career as a crane operator at Westvaco. Jack retired from the mill in 2000 — at least officially. Retirement from employment never particularly interested him in retiring from work.

Jack and Zennia had known each other since they were five years old, their paths crossing again and again until they began dating in the tenth grade. They married on Zennia’s eighteenth birthday — the earliest they legally could without her father’s approval — and she has always said that Jack was the “best birthday present she ever received.”

Seventy years later, they were more than husband and wife– they were a team. Jack’s woodworking and Zennia’s painting became “Something to Crow About Crafts,” and for years their evenings and weekends were spent turning jigsaw-cut wood into hand-painted decorations they sold at local craft shows. Their handiwork can still be found displayed in yards all over the area.

Year-round, Jack and Zennia’s yard is arguably the most beautiful in town — filled with flowerbeds and handmade décor — but at Christmas, it truly (literally) shines. Jack’s annual outdoor display, one of the largest in the area, has drawn visitors from miles around. Well into his eighties, he was still climbing onto the roof to cover it in lights, putting Clark Griswold to shame.

Jack took enormous pride in his family. “Pap” or “Pappy” believed grandchildren were meant to be spoiled, and every grandchild learned quickly where the snack drawer was located.

One of Jack’s proudest achievements began in the early 1970s, when he helped pioneer organized girls’ athletics in Western Maryland. He founded the first local girls’ softball league, the Sugar and Spice League, and personally managed the Barton Cardinals for eight years. Zennia made the team uniforms and ran the concession stand. At Jack’s request, former members of the Barton Cardinals will serve as honorary pallbearers at his funeral.

His work ethic was legendary — no one worked harder than Jack. Family and friends dubbed him the “Energizer Bunny,” and he put the “Jack” in “jack of all trades” when it came to household projects. Cement work, painting, gardening, mowing — there was always something that needed done, even when it didn’t actually need to be done.

He “never met a rock he didn’t want to paint.” He built Zennia’s flowerbeds, mowed seemingly every yard in the neighborhood, and even transformed the crawl space of his home into an actual basement with nothing more than a shovel, pickaxe, wheelbarrow, and his own stubbornness. When he ran out of tasks to complete on his own property, Jack appointed himself creator and caretaker of “Rock Creek Park” at the end of Rainbow Lane, clearing and improving the area simply because he decided somebody ought to.

Even into his final days, he was still insisting upon climbing ladders, painting, and mowing his grass. Dying wasn’t an excuse to slow down.

He could also be a rascal: mischievous, cantankerous, stubborn, and spectacularly set in his own ways, whether it made practical sense or not. Jack was a storyteller with approximately a million stories, each of which he had probably told a million times. He could talk your ear off, leave precious little opportunity to get a word in yourself, and never met a stranger.

A product of his post-Depression era upbringing, Jack could not pass up a bargain. He was perpetually on the hunt for a sale, whether at Lowe’s, Rural King, Boscov’s, or his recent obsession — Amazon Warehouse. He was a fixture in department stores on the day after every major holiday, searching for discounted candy. At Jack’s house, you ate Christmas candy at Easter, Easter candy at Halloween, and Halloween candy at Christmas. “It’s still fresh!” he’d argue.

Jack loved sports. He was a diehard Baltimore Orioles, Ravens, and University of Maryland fan. He rarely missed a broadcast of one of his favorite teams.

Jack was a devout Christian who attended Harmony Baptist Church in Westernport, Maryland. And while you can’t improve perfection, that almost certainly hasn’t stopped Jack from already making some “improvements” on his heavenly home.

Jack’s family extends special thanks to the members of the UPMC Western Maryland hospice team for their care and compassion during his final months.

Friends and family will be received on Monday, September 21, 2026, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at Boal Memorial Chapel in Barton, Maryland. The funeral service will immediately follow. Per Jack’s request, Pastor Ben Sprenger, grandson-in-law, will officiate the service.