Donald L. Jack's Obituary
Donald L. Jack, age 92, of Parma, passed away on December 6, 2015.
Beloved husband of 64 years to Ruth (nee Hessler) Jack; loving father to his daughters Debbie (John) Salay and Pam (Ken) Evans; and cherished grandfather to Jeff (Dani) and Katie Salay; also Greg and Jenny Evans.
Donald Lester Jack was born on 08/27/1923 to Wesley and Pearle Jack in Cleveland, OH. He was their only child. Donald was part of the “greatest generation”. He enlisted in the Navy during WWII and was part of the crew on the McDermott destroyer. His primary responsibility was to work on the radar. His destroyer was involved in many major battles – including the Battle of Leyte Gulf – that crippled the Japanese Combined Fleet, permitted U.S.invasion of the Philippines, and reinforced the Allies’ control of the Pacific.
After being discharged from the Navy, Don went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree from Fenn College. This is where he met and married his wife, Ruth on May 15, 1951. Their marriage continued for the next 64 years. They were committed to their family. They raised two children – Debbie and Pam. Throughout Don’s life, his family was the most important thing to him. Through good times and bad, he always made sure that his children had every opportunity available to them.
Don wasn’t involved in organized religion. His belief was that he could workshop God and all of his creations by taking long hikes and being a part of nature. He didn’t need someone to tell him what to believe in. He could find his own beliefs through nature. Being a part of nature meant not only hiking, but taking bike rides and boating on his folboat. Many weekends were spent at Hinckley Lake.
Donald was a very intelligent and artistic man. Throughout his career, he worked in sales; however, he probably should have been an engineer. He was able to fix just about anything – whether it had to do with cars or his home. He built his garage by himself, was able to do woodworking, and also could whittle animal sculptures. He was always able to assist his daughters with their homework. He could figure out any math problem they had – not necessarily the way the teacher wanted it done, but he could come up with the correct answer for them.
Don loved to travel. Every summer, the family would take vacations – driving to places like Florida, Cape Cod, Carolinas, etc. He would drive for hours and as children, we would get so tired of driving, but he would always find a hotel with a pool and we would spend the evenings swimming. He loved the ocean and many trips were taken to the beach.
When his daughters grew up, Debbie married John Salay and Pam married Ken Evans . Don was always there for them. If something needed to be fixed, he was there. When they built their homes, he was happy to give his advice. He believed in doing things for himself. Why spend the money to have someone else do it when he could do it for himself. Don took pride in hard work and passed this quality on to his family.
Over the past few years, as Don’s health began to decline, he had a hard time adjusting. It was very difficult for him to not be able to fix everything and do everything for himself. However, it was still evident that he cared for the family. He would ask his daughters to make sure that there was always a Christmas present from him to Ruth and would always thank us for helping her out and doing what he said was his job.
Don was a hard working and honest husband and father. He taught these values to his daughters. He cared about family and wanted the best for them.
Private services have taken place and Donald is laid to rest in Sunset Memorial Park, North Olmsted. Donations suggested to the Wounded Warriors Project, PO Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675 (woundedwarriorproject.org).
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