As a lifelong funeral director, John R. (Jack) Amann guided families through grief and logistics in the days after their loved one's death.
"He had a love for people who were grieving and had special needs," said his daughter, Andi Anderson of Shoreview. "It was not something he shied away from."
Amann, 62, died unexpectedly in his New Brighton home early Tuesday of an unknown cause.
Throughout his life, Amann worked hard to teach family and friends that death was a part of life and shouldn't be feared, Andi Anderson said.
He often spoke to students at Irondale High School in New Brighton, which led them to take field trips to funeral homes and Lakewood Cemetery, his daughter said.
After graduating from the University of Minnesota with a degree in mortuary science, Amann launched a career that spanned decades and several Twin Cities funeral homes. "He still had a love for it, and he was really good at his job," Andi Anderson said.
In recent years, he also drove for Rise Inc., of Spring Lake Park, taking adults with special needs to their work.
Andi Anderson said her father also was the family historian who loved to tell stories and share a good laugh. Frequent trips to his native Albert Lea often meant visiting the cemetery, followed by a lakeside picnic with relatives.