Jan F. Sommer

STOW - Jan F. Sommer, age 64, passed away peacefully at home following a long illness on February 15, 2026. He leaves his wife Gayle (Boyd) Sommer, his son Nicholas Sommer and both his parents and sister who still reside in Germany.

He was born in Germany and lived in the United States for the first time at age five in Castleton-on-Hudson, New York, where he attended pre-school and kindergarten while his father was a postdoctural fellow at The State University of New York at Albany. He moved with his parents to the United States again in 1976 and lived in Warren, New Jersey, and later in Summerville, South Carolina. After high school, he remained in South Carolina, earning his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of South Carolina at Columbia. His wife Gayle attended the same international MBA program at USC, which included Jan’s internship with Price Waterhouse in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Following graduation in 1985, they married and moved to Massachusetts, living first in Lawrence before moving to Stow.

Jan had 2 very different long-term careers over his lifetime: first as a sales engineer for companies specializing in equipment for high pressure applications where he worked with domestic and international clients and then running his own residential tile/stone installation business until he retired in 2023.

He enjoyed cutting fields on a tractor, growing his own vegetables, enjoying German sweet treats - especially those with marzipan filling, preparing paella and smoking meats for friends and family in the back yard. He also had a deep appreciation for Japanese cars, especially his 1990 Mazda Miata, which he thoughtfully personalized and refined over more than 30 years. His blue convertible brought him countless joyful drives, cruising with his wife and son, and sharing winding country roads with fellow Miata Club members who shared his passion.

His family invites those who knew Jan to remember him in their own special way. A celebration of his life will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Faith & Family Hospice of Marlborough, MA www.hospicefamily.com

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