John L. “Jack” Behling, 94, of Newtown died May 13, with family by his side.

Mr Behling was a wonderful gourmet cook, active at one time in the local International Club, entertaining and hosting events overlooking Taunton Lake. He was frequently sought out for patiently sharing his veteran stories of his OSS (pre-CIA) years as a multilingual intelligence officer in the US Army. He looked forward to his annual invite to Newtown High School for its Veterans Day events.

He and his wife, Mary Jane, shared a deep connection to the local St Rose parish.

He taught many years in the public high schools in the Redding and Washington, Conn., districts, as well as Brewster, N.Y., college at Rutgers, and later lecturing at Fordham before working at Tiffany in his retirement. He continually valued his title of “Professor.”

His loves included his vibrant gardens, artwork, writing his final book on history and events in the Middle East, his beloved wife, and his family of whom he was so proud. He kept busy designing and making jewelry, collecting art, landscape oil painting and traveling the globe in his younger years, building the outdoor fireplace he needed, designing gardens, practicing his languages, developing new recipes, reading his e-mail, and his passion of staying abreast of current international events and politics while researching for his book, The DNA of Terrorism.

Mr Behling will be missed by all who knew him, but never forgotten. He is remembered as a truly renaissance man.

Final arrangements will be entrusted to Cornell Memorial in Danbury, with visitation scheduled for Monday, May 18, at noon, with a service at 12:45 pm, and a military graveside ceremony to follow at St Peter's Cemetery in Danbury.

To light a candle of hope and remembrance visit www.CornellMemorial.com.