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In Memoriam

Jesuit Father G. Donald Pantle, SJ, died on August 28, 2017 at the age of 89.

He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on May 17, 1928. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in Scranton and entered the Society of Jesus at the Novitiate of St. Isaac Jogues in Wernersville, Pa. in 1948. He received his bachelor’s from Bellarmine College in Plattsburg, New York, and a master’s degree in German from Middlebury College in Mainz, Germany. He was ordained a priest on June 19, 1960.

As a Jesuit scholastic, Fr. Pantle taught German and Religion at Loyola Blakefield in Baltimore. Following ordination, he began a 16-year tenure teaching German at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. He also served as the superior of the Carroll House Jesuit Community in Washington from 1969 to 1978.

In 1979, Fr. Pantle returned to his home town of Scranton where he would serve the University of Scranton for 35 years. In addition to teaching German, he was an associate director of campus ministry and a director of the retreat center at Chapman Lake.

Over the years, the University showed its appreciation for his service. He received the Beining Award from the Athletics Department for his support and “ministry of presence.” In 1998, the Scranton Jesuit Community established the Rev. G. Donald Pantle, SJ, Scholarship at Scranton. And, in 2010, the University named a garden on its campus the Rev. G. Donald Pantle, SJ, Rose Garden, in honor of his service to the institution.

Fr. Pantle moved to the Colombiere Jesuit Community in Baltimore in 2014 where he served in pastoral ministry, visiting Loyola Blakefield and continuing to assist with retreats at the University of Scranton.