Juergen E. Lorenz ("Jay"), 88, died peacefully on Tuesday March 5, 2024 at his home in Collingswood NJ. He is survived by his wife Helen (Menz) Lorenz, with whom he shared over 66 years of marriage. He is also survived by his sons Michael and Thomas, his daughters-in-law Barbara and Linda, his grandchildren Justin'e and Kelson, his sister Cathy, his brother Peter, and his sister-in-law Karin.

He was born Jürgen Ewald Karl Heinrich Albert Lorenz in Hamburg, Germany on March 10, 1935 to parents Ewald and Irma. When he was eight years old, his family's apartment building was destroyed during Operation Gomorrah, the allied firebombing of Hamburg. The family then traveled 75 miles south and moved in with his mother's sister in Mariensee, a sleepy farming town near Hanover, Germany, where he lived until he was a young man.

His dream of a life as an officer in the merchant marines ended when he discovered he was colorblind and therefore ineligible to serve. Recovering from this, he took a job with Lufthansa airlines, and polished his English language skills. In 1955 he met Helen, the new Kindergarten teacher in his home town. They married in December 1957, and soon after, they dreamed of moving to America. Three weeks after their son Michael was born in 1960 they took their meager savings and a couple of suitcases and moved to Chicago IL, where they lived for three years and had their son Thomas. Then came a job with Japan Airlines in Kansas City MO, followed by promotions that took him and his family to St. Louis MO, Brentwood NY, and finally Collingswood NJ in 1976. His position allowed for frequent family trips all over the world, including many visits to see family in Germany.

One constant in his life was his love of boating. Over many years he paddled his Klepper kayak on Lake Michigan, sailed his sloop on the Great South Bay, motored through the back bays of the NJ shore, puttered along the Thames River and the Norfolk Broads in England, and rowed a small canoe on the Cooper River. Later in life he and Helen enjoyed cruises, and he was never happier on the sea than when the weather was raw and stormy.

For years he and Helen were well known in Collingswood––perhaps not by name, but by sight––as they rode their tricycles all over town and beyond. He had an inquisitive mind, and was always looking up words, their definitions, and their origins. He had an unrelentingly positive attitude: he would always say "life is good", even when battling blindness. He loved jokes and was always ready to tell one or laugh at one. He loved crossword puzzles and clever crossword clues. He loved lively conversation. But most of all, he loved Helen.

A private remembrance will be held by the immediate family at home.

Arrangements by the FOSTER-WARNE FUNERAL HOME, Collingswood and Audubon, NJ.