Captain K Remembers Dr. Gregory Jantz (1959-2025)
A personal reflection on a wonderful friend and valiant fighter for spiritual health and freedom
On January 14, 2022, I spoke in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of the ReAwaken America tour. I was extremely busy at the start of a year in which I spoke in or traveled through 48 states. The event was packed, with patriots from all over finding central Arizona a wonderful place to catch a break from the January blues found elsewhere. One of the coolest parts of that day was when I met Eric Trump and had a conversation about the state of American elections. Eric remembered me every time he saw me after that and struck me as an attentive, detail-oriented guy.
I couldn’t have known it at the time, but the person I met that day who wound up meaning the most to my life was a 62-year-old mental health counselor and world-renowned author named Dr. Gregory Jantz. Dr. Jantz was the guest of another tour speaker who brought him backstage. We instantly connected, discussed the battle for our country, and swapped off contact information. He insisted that I connect with him to carry on what we had discussed that day.
Dr. Jantz entered my life at the exact moment I needed him most. I was going through personal hell despite my busy schedule suggesting a life full of thriving to those watching from the outside. The final stages of a divorce were weighing on me, as was my recent dismissal from my six-figure job that came right after a global hit piece found its way into the news cycle. Dr. Jantz wanted to have me up to his Seattle-area home to present to a group of local businessmen, patriots, and believers as soon as possible.
That date for that event was March 1, 2022, the night before I left for Hawaii on a three-day swing. Dr. Jantz and his wife LaFon were extraordinary hosts, put on an amazing event, and left no doubt they were highly invested in turning the tide in one of America’s most corrupt states. I never once heard Dr. Jantz allude to leaving Washington behind for greener political pastures. Washington was home and would always remain as such.
Over time, he helped me process the change taking place in my life, reminding me that God had a purpose for pushing my life in the direction He made it go. There was nothing I had done in the past that could prevent me from being used for great purposes, and Dr. Jantz bent over backward to ensure I understood these things. Time and time again, he opened up his home and his guest retreat, typically reserved for patients, to have me in for rest and recovery. One time he even arranged for me to have IV therapy when he thought I was running myself into the ground and needed a boost.
I spent three days there in early May 2023 taking a break from a hectic schedule and enjoyed quality time with Dr. Jantz and LaFon. They took me to Anthony’s, one of their favorite restaurants in Edmonds:
Here is my favorite study, part of their guest retreat, and a wonderful place to let the mind recover and great ideas spin:
In October 2023, Dr. Jantz gave me run of the place to take my kids to Washington on Fall Break from school. He and LaFon loved my kids as much as they loved everyone else, even when Eli wrecked a perfectly good picture:
Ultimately, Dr. Jantz and I knew one another for less than four years, but I feel like I knew him for a lifetime. Just as he was there for me in dark times, he was there for me in one of my greatest moments, too. Rachel and I had two wedding ceremonies, something very few people know about, at least until now. We decided we wanted to have a covenant ceremony not involving the government of man, with a date known only to us. With little notice, I asked Dr. Steve Cassell to perform the ceremony and then asked Dr. Jantz if we could use his guest property. Four people (Steve and Kay Cassell, Gregory and LaFon Jantz as witnesses) plus our photographer saw us get married. Here’s one of my favorite pictures of Rachel from the big day:
The photographer captured the same moment when he swung around to the other side, and now, whenever I see it, when I’m reminded of the covenant made, I’ll see Dr. Gregory Jantz standing there in the background as a witness to the moment. He was there in hard, trying times and in happy, great times:
Dr. Gregory Jantz lived life fully and put his money where his mouth was. He remains one of the most generous people I’ve ever known, who used his talents wisely and for the betterment of the world around him. His books on mental and behavioral health can be found from one corner of the country to the other, and beyond, and it is my prayer that A Place of Hope carries on his legacy serving those who need it most. He was a pillar of the community and an integral part of the fight for freedom in a place that desperately needs it. I had the pleasure of speaking multiple times to his group of freedom fighters.
Dr. Jantz’s words to me on our wedding date, etched into my Bible:
Dear Capt. Seth and Rachel, you have been called to do great things for the Kingdom. We will be your support and keep you covered in prayer. What a joy to have you both in our lives. We believe in you both. Dr. Gregg and LaFon.
As you must have certainly deduced by reading this far, Dr. Jantz has left us for a different place in that Kingdom, having escaped the bounds of this Earth for a dominion with no end. It is with great sadness and regret I learned that he lost his Earthly life in a tragic, freakish accident at his home on July 4, and gained his imperishable one. Despite the knowledge of that which I believe to be true, it does little to quench the sadness within me to have lost a friend of such a caliber. I loved Dr. Jantz, love his family, and ask you to please remember them in your prayers.
More importantly, I want you all to touch base frequently with those you love. We have no promises of another day to do it. In one of my last contacts with him, I shared very positive news from my professional world and received this: We are so over the top proud of you. We adopted you!
God bless the Jantz family, and thank you for your kindness to me and my family. You will never be forgotten, and the Keshels are always here when you need us.
Seth Keshel, MBA, is a former Army Captain of Military Intelligence and Afghanistan veteran. His analytical method of election forecasting and analytics is known worldwide, and he has been commended by President Donald J. Trump for his work in the field.
Thank you for using your gift of writing to bless us with an insight to a close relationship of yours. It feels like you just gave a gift to me in your time of grief.
Love is a gift that, when we can't express it anymore to the individual, gives the gift of grief which in turn, gives us the gift of reflection and often brings the best changes possible in our life. Prayers for you and yours.
What a wonderful tribute to a dear friend and mentor! Thank you for sharing him with us!
It helps his work and influence ripple out further.
And thank you for your work also Seth!