Lentz, Gerald J.
Jesuit Father Gerald J. Lentz died on Feb. 17, 2018, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center, Los Gatos, California. He was 89 and had been a member of the Jesuit order for 71 years, and an ordained priest for 58 years.
Born in Honolulu on March 29, 1929, and raised in California, Fr. Lentz was the only child of Paul Lentz and Genevieve Prindiville Lentz. He attended St. Ignatius High School, San Francisco, and upon graduation in 1947, he entered the Jesuit Novitiate at Los Gatos to pursue studies for the priesthood. He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Gonzaga University and a degree in Sacred Theology from Santa Clara University. He was ordained a priest in San Francisco June 10, 1960.
Father Lentz’s lifelong ministry was in the high school classroom, primarily as a teacher of mathematics, but also of English and religious studies. He taught at Loyola High School, Los Angeles; St. Ignatius College Prep, San Francisco: Jesuit High School, Sacramento: Bellarmine College Prep, San Jose; and Bishop Diego Garcia High School, Santa Barbara. He also held community administration positions and assisted in the school library at Bellarmine.
He enjoyed playing the clarinet and was a mainstay in the pep band and school orchestra for student musical productions. For many years he was a member of the Cupertino Symphonic Band. He was an avid gardener and took delight in keeping the community’s garden in bloom and providing a quiet and welcoming space for his fellow Jesuits.