Architect Jack Summer, 87, vital to D-Day statue effort

Like many who participated in the D-Day landings in Normandy during World War II, John H. “Jack” Summer did not talk much about what happened there.

Too many lives were lost; others were permanently changed. While Mr. Summer rarely openly reflected on the events that transpired, his heart was never far from it.

So, it was without hesitation that he helped lead the effort to have a monument placed in Amfreville, France, in 2002 to commemorate the fallen from the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Mr. Summer was a member of the 82nd Airborne, which joined the 101st Airborne as the first to jump into Normandy on June 6, 1944, said Col. Frank Naughton of Norcross.

“Jack was very proud of the role he played in getting the memorial,” Naughton said. “He should’ve been. He was very instrumental. I’m a little bit prejudiced, but I think it’s the finest monument in Normandy.”

Mr. Summer, working on the board of the 507th PIR Association, applied his expertise as a longtime architect to ensure the 15-foot concrete paratrooper sculpture would honor the men he fought with.87,

It was among the most endearing moments of his career, but far from his only accomplishment, having designed many churches, hotels and other buildings throughout metro Atlanta and beyond.

“Architecture was his passion,” said his daughter, Susan Ory. “In family vacation photos, you always see us standing next to foundations being poured or something. He loved it.”

Mr. Summer, 87, died Sunday at his home after a long illness. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. at Thursday at A.S. Turner and Sons in Decatur.

Mr. Summer was born in Newberry, S.C., and moved to Atlanta as a teenager. He enlisted in the Army at the start of the war and attended jump school at Fort Benning. Upon his return, Mr. Summer attended Georgia Tech and in 1961 started his own architectural firm, John H. Summer and Associates. It later became Summer/Wise and Associates.

Mr. Summer is survived by his daughter and her husband, Jim Ory; his grandson, Jonathan Ory; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Anne A. Summer; his brothers, Hugh and Robert Summer; his sister, Frances Hanson; and a daughter, Cindy Summer Watson.