Jacob "Jack" Friedlander

FUNERAL SERVICE: Monday, July 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM CST at Owens St Cemetery in Mobile, Alabama.

LIVESTREAM: Please click here to attend the funeral via livestream.

LIVESTREAM IN ALABAMA: Please click here to attend the funeral via livestream.

SHIVA:Shiva will be observed Monday, July 13 at 5 pm at the home of Iris and Nate Ginsberg (7240 Isle of Palms Drive, Mobile, AL 36695), and also on Wednesday, July 15 at 6:00 PM at Robin and Adam’s home (4618 Buckline Circle, Dunwoody, GA 30338)

OBITUARY:

Jack Friedlander had a rare gift for making people feel seen, welcomed, and loved. With his gentle spirit, easy smile, mischievous humor, and generous heart, he made the world better for everyone. He had a heart that was always looking to help.

Jack was born on April 25, 1947, in Mobile, Alabama, to Rebecca (Buchman) and David M. Friedlander. Mobile was always home in his heart. In elementary school, he attended Old Shell Road School and he graduated from UMS Preparatory School in 1965 before he went on to the University of Alabama, where he became a lifelong Crimson Tide fan. 

The greatest gift of Jack’s life was his wife, Amy Stern Friedlander. She was the love of his life, his partner, and his best friend. Their love was evident to everyone who knew them, and together they built a family that became Jack’s greatest pride. Jack was incredibly close to Amy’s parents, Phyllis and Joe Stern, of blessed memory. 

He was a devoted father to Jamie McGinnis (Scott Genzer) and Robin Mayer (Adam Mayer), and was an adoring Papa to his grandchildren, David, Rachel and Meryl. His grandchildren along with great nieces and nephews knew him by another name too - the Tickle Monster—because no visit was complete without laughter, hugs, and plenty of tickles. Making children laugh was one of his greatest talents, and one of his greatest joys.

Jack believed that if you could help, you should. He spent most of his life serving the Mobile Jewish Community, notably as both JCC and Spring Hill Avenue Temple President and other  leadership roles. He also picked people up so they could attend services, and quietly did whatever needed to be done without ever asking for recognition.

His generosity reached far beyond his congregation. He volunteered at The Mobile Infirmary, tutored children learning to read, served as Santa Claus through the Optimist Club, was a member of the Masonic lodge and Red Elephant Club. He was always the first to lend a hand. He didn’t volunteer because he wanted credit. He volunteered because that’s simply who he was.

After college, Jack ran the family business, Mobile Rug and Shade, along with his parents who opened it in 1935, and his brother, Jerry. His employees were more like family and many people in Mobile knew him as the “rug man.”

Jack knew how to enjoy life. He loved sitting around a table covered with blue crabs, crawfish, fried oysters, and his mother’s West Indies Salad with family and friends. He loved telling stories—especially family stories—and somehow made every one of them better with each retelling. He loved Alabama football, a clean shave, the beach, and treasured the lifelong friendships he made in Mobile.

More than anything, Jack had a way of making people feel welcome. He noticed people. He listened. He laughed easily. He made strangers feel like friends and friends feel like family.

His family will miss his stories, his laugh, his warm hugs, and the quiet, steady love that was always there. They are comforted knowing that the values he lived by—kindness, generosity, faith, humor, and unconditional love—live on in the people he loved most.

Jack is survived by his beloved wife, Amy Stern Friedlander; his daughters, Jamie McGinnis (Scott Genzer) and Robin Mayer (Adam Mayer); his treasured grandchildren, David, Rachel, and Meryl; his brother, Jerry (Kay) Friedlander; his sister, Jenny (Gary) Rich, his nieces and nephews, and countless friends and family members whose lives were brighter because Jack was part of them.

If you were lucky enough to know Jack, you probably have a story that makes you smile. His family hopes you’ll tell those stories often. In doing so, his laughter, his kindness, and his love will continue to live on.

In lieu of flowers, we ask for donations to be made to the Springhill Avenue Temple Cemetery Fund or Temple Sinai. 

May his memory always be a blessing.