James “Jack” Kloss, of Verona, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on August 16, 2023, following a brief illness. Jack was born in Montclair on November 23, 1942, the son of Stanley and Anna Kloss. He grew up in Bloomfield, NJ and attended Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair where he played football and baseball. In 1997 he was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame. Jack graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in Biology and Education. He and his wife Kathleen moved to Verona in 1969 where they raised their family and have resided ever since.
Jack was known in the town of Verona and its surrounding communities as the owner of Kloss Construction, working for more than 50 years as a carpenter and general contractor. He was an active congregant of Our Lady of the Lake Parish where he was a member of the Christian Family Movement (CFM) and served as a Eucharistic Minister, having been in the first group to be mandated in the Newark Archdiocese.
Enjoying all sports, Jack volunteered for several years as a coach for the Verona Baseball League. For a number of seasons he was the varsity boys tennis coach at Verona High School. Jack held the position of varsity girls tennis coach at James Caldwell High School for 29 years. He was to begin his thirtieth season with the team this week.
Jack is survived by his wife of 57 years, Kathleen, their children: Brian (Laurie Edelman), Deborah Festa (Peter), Andrew (Katherine), Brenda Minetti (Doug) and Matthew, as well as his cherished grandchildren: Lila Kloss, Christopher and David Festa, Stefan, Elizabeth and Julia Kloss, Isabella and Luke Minetti and his sister Joan Schulte. He was preceded in death by his sister, Sr. Martha (Frances) Kloss, CSSF, his brother Stanley Kloss, Jr. and his granddaughter Caroline Kloss.
A funeral mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of the Lake Church, Lakeside Avenue, Verona, on Saturday August 19 at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations to St. John’s Soup Kitchen, 871 McCarter Highway, Newark, NJ 07102 (www.njsk.org) would be greatly appreciated.
