JOHN STAUB

1951 - 2020

STAUB--John Howard III, (aka Jack, Rolly) of Wrightstown, PA and Manalapan, FL lost his valiant battle with Amyloidosis, AL on January 22, 2020. Jack was born February 5, 1951 in Washington, DC to the late Faith Hussey Staub and John Howard Staub II of Litchfield, CT. Jack attended Greenwich Country Day School, The Choate School and was an Echols Scholar at the University of Virginia. During summer breaks, he worked at The Grenfell Mission in Labrador, Quebec and was a docent at Fort Ticonderoga. Jack was a man of many talents. He was an actor, an advertising executive, playwright, gourmet cook and lecturer. He and his partner, Renny Reynolds, transformed a one hundred acre, bramble choked Pennsylvania Dutch dairy farm in Wrightstown, PA into Hortulus Farm, a horticultural destination widely featured in gardening and travel magazines. Jack was the author of seven gardening books including "Private Edens" which was acclaimed by The New York Times as the top rated gardening book of 2016. He and Renny have lectured extensively across the country and around the globe. Jack's most most recent book is "Chasing Eden," a brilliant history of the farm and its gardens with horticultural teachings from which to learn. "Chasing Eden" is listed as one of the top best selling books on Amazon. Jack is survived by his partner of 41 years, Renny Reynolds; his father, John Howard Staub II, and his five siblings: Sharon H. S. Doty and Dr. Charles L. H. Staub (Dale) of Litchfield, CT; Nancy P.S. Laughlin (Toby) of Skillman, NJ; Harriet S. Huston (Jack) of New York, NY and Nicholas E. Staub (Kathryn) of Marlton, NJ. Jack is also survived by his three dogs: Bandit, Sadie, and Parker and 18 nieces and nephews. His wishes are to have a celebration of his life at Hortulus Farm in the springtime when it is in its full glory. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hortulus Farm Foundation in Jack's memory, 60 Thompson Mill Road, Wrightstown, PA 18940.