John E. “Jack” Chance, 90, passed away in December. With his passing, the Montclair Historical Society marks the end of an era.
Back in 1965, Jack Chance was one of a group of concerned citizens who worked tirelessly to rescue the Israel Crane House from demolition, move it to its present location on Orange Road, and restore it as an historic house museum. He was the sole surviving member of that dedicated group that moved mountains to move an historic house.
His commitment to the Montclair Historical Society lasted a lifetime. He served several terms on the Board of Trustees, became our fourth President, led many trips, and wrote the monthly newsletter for 17 years.
He was also involved in other organizations dedicated to local history and preservation. Over the years, he served on Montclair’s committee for the New Jersey Tercentenary, and was active in the North Jersey Highlands Historical Society, the Canal Society of New Jersey, and the League of Historical Societies of New Jersey. He served on the New Jersey Council for the Humanities and received an award from the New Jersey Historical Commission in 1984.
According to his full obituary in the Montclair Times, a memorial service will be held on February 25 at Union Congregational Church, 176 Cooper Ave, Montclair, at 2:30 p.m. Memorial gifts may be made to the Montclair Historical Society, 108 Orange Road, Montclair NJ 07042 or the North Jersey Highlands Historical Society, PO Box 248, Ringwood NJ 07456.
On behalf of the thousands of people who have visited the Israel Crane in the last 47 years and all of Montclair’s history community: Thank you, Jack Chance.