Jack Amann strived to make death a part of life

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.

Recently, Amann's son, Paul Amann, of New Brighton, acquired a barbecue smoker, which led to regular family dinners on Sundays, including Aug. 22. Anderson's husband, also named Paul, said Jack Amann spent part of that evening on the couch, reading to the Andersons' children, Josiah, 7, and Mia, 4.

"It was just a nice night," said Paul Anderson, the principal at Sand Creek Elementary School in Coon Rapids.

Amann didn't design his own service. "It's a tongue-in-cheek joke -- the funeral director did not have his own funeral planned," Andi Anderson said.

The family decided to scatter Amann's ashes in Albert Lea, on the graves of his parents. "We think that's probably where he wanted to be most," Andi Anderson said.

In addition to his daughter, his son and two grandchildren, Amann is survived by his wife, Sharon; a brother, Paul Amann, and two sisters, Jean VanGuilder and Beth Ruud. His siblings all live in Albert Lea.