By Jessica Tanenbaum, Globe Correspondent, 6/11/2004

Did Francis Thomas Jantzen Jr. ever tell you about his three holes-in-one?

Mr. Jantzen graduated from Harvard College, served as a Lieutenant in World War II, represented insurance companies as a workers’ compensation lawyer for 30 years, and barely survived a car accident. But sometimes, he seemed most proud of his achievements on the golf course.

‘‘Wherever we were going with my father, he always managed to have the route going by a hole-in-one so he could point it out,’’ Francis ‘‘Frank’’ T. Jantzen III said of his father, 83, who died Tuesday of complications related to a head injury sustained in the car accident 22 years ago.

In the 25th anniversary report of his class at Harvard, Mr. Jantzen mentioned his military service, his role as a Cub Scout master and Little League coach, and of course his three holes-in-one. He even managed to link his coaching career to his exploits on the golf course. He would slice golf balls from behind home plate.

The logic, said Frank, was that ‘‘if we could catch golf balls, we’d definitely be able to catch baseballs.’’

In 1972, the Needham Golf Club embossed his name in gold on its walnut-colored placard: Mr. Jantzen, who favored plaid Bermuda shorts on the golf course, had claimed the club championship after years of being runner-up.

On the afternoon of April 24, 1982, Mr. Jantzen was driving home from the club when a young driver broadsided his car. Doctors doubted Mr. Jantzen would survive the night, and he received his last rites.

After 93 days, Mr. Jantzen emerged from a coma with reduced mental function and difficulty walking. But throughout 22 years of recovery and then a slow decline his standard refrain was, ‘‘I’m fine,’’ Frank said.

He and his wife moved to Pembroke Pines, Fla., shortly after the accident.

A parishioner of St. Bartholomew Church in Needham, religious faith helped Mr. Jantzen and his wife cope after the accident, said their son Christopher of Needham. ‘‘If it wasn’t for their faith, how could they possibly explain this?’’ he said.

Mr. Jantzen, the son of a doctor and Brookline socialite, graduated from Harvard in 1943. After a year at Harvard Business School, he volunteered for the Navy. A lieutenant, Mr. Jantzen crossed the Rhine River in 1945 as part of the second wave of American soldiers to penetrate the German border.

On a double date in San Francisco with a Navy friend, Mr. Jantzen met Marion Brady. They were married in 1947.

Mr. Jantzen graduated from Boston College’s law program in 1948. He spent more than 30 years representing insurance companies in workers’ compensation cases, practicing what his son Christopher called ‘‘firm, but fair’’ law. But his primary interests were his family, his community, and golf.

Christopher remembers his father donning a red vest and ringing sleigh bells on the roof during the family’s annual Christmas party.

On Monday night, Mr. Jantzen and his son Frank watched the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Calgary Flames to claim the Stanley Cup. Frank said his father ‘‘squeezed my hand a few times. That made me feel like he was with me during the game.’’

Frank said it reminded him of when he was 6, and his father would hold his hand on the way to peewee hockey practice at 5:30 on Saturday mornings. ‘‘We came full circle,’’ said Frank.

Besides his wife and his sons, Mr. Jantzen leaves his brother William of Hingham, his daughter Joan Jantzen Kister of Fuquay-Varina, N.C., his son Peter J. of Concord, and six grandchildren.

A funeral Mass was held in St. Joseph’s Church in Needham. Interment was in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Needham.

This story ran on page C13 of the Boston Globe on 6/11/2004. © Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.

Back to E-Zine Archive | Page Two | Main Menu