John "Jack" Rawls Giannini

John Rawls (Jack) Giannini died suddenly and likely of heart failure on Thursday, June 23, 2022. God broke the mold when he made our Jack, born to John Thomas Giannini, Jr. and Mrs. Barbara Lynn Giannini in Jacksonville, FL on February 1,1988, six whole minutes before his twin brother Ross and to the great disappointment of his two-year-old sister, Liz. Jack’s formative, childhood years were magical and full of fun. He grew up playing pick-up football with his neighborhood pals, swimming in the backyard, jumping and injuring himself on the trampoline, peeing outside, and occasionally pooping in the neighbor's yard. His childhood nickname was Sparky because he genuinely had that twinkle in his eye that only otherwise exists in cartoons.

He graduated from Mandarin High School, where he played football, and attended the University of North Florida, where he majored in Construction Management.

For the entirety of his life, Jack was beloved. His brother and sister can now (since he’s gone and we don’t have to say it to his face) reluctantly admit that he was the funniest, coolest, and best of us. To know him was to love him. Everybody has a Jack story. And most of them you wouldn’t tell in proper company. After graduation he went on to work in construction, most recently as a Senior Estimate Review Specialist, where again, he was everybody’s favorite. He loved football, music, dancing, a good party, leading worship, and his friends. There wasn’t a couch in the world that Jack couldn’t fall asleep on. He was also tough as nails, which was for the best because he was accident-prone. Throughout his life Jack had his finger spliced in half, teeth knocked in, and head split open more than once. He fell straight through a dock and even got knocked out by a future NFL player.

He could talk you right out of a room, literally. There are numerous family stories of people backing out of entire rooms and disappearing, and the man just kept right on going. Everybody thought Jack was hilarious, especially Jack, who always laughed harder at his own jokes than anyone else did. He could cook like a pro and cared for people by feeding them. He’s notorious for loading up family members’ Instacarts (that he somehow gained access to?) with the ingredients for recipes he thought they should try. He was also the best gift-giver in the entire world. Jack would remember that you mentioned in passing six months ago that you love riding your bike but occasionally do it in the dark and buy you the best rated bike headlights on Amazon. He would also just ship you Famous Amos cookies on a Wednesday because he remembered you’d buy them at gas stations in high school when you were sixteen (you’re thirty-six now).

Jack is survived by his father, Buz Giannini, mother, Bobbi Giannini, brother, Ross Giannini, sister, Liz Morrow, brother-in-law, Ryan Morrow, and adored dogs, Mini and Ellie. He also relished his role of uncle to his nephew and niece, Weston and Fiona Morrow, who seem to have inherited his mischievous nature. He loved family, tradition, holidays, and to laugh. He’s the reason we could never give gift cards or even use gift bags at Christmas. Everything had to be a physical gift wrapped in a box with real wrapping paper. “It’s not special, otherwise,” he said. That was the thing about Jack. He made everything special. He was bright and full of joy and hope. He loved life. He also loved a good fart story.

We will be forever devastated that we only got thirty-four years with him, though nobody got more out of life in such a short period of time than Jack did. We will miss him everyday for the rest of our days, and none more so than his best friend, partner in crime, twin, and wombmate, Ross. In lieu of flowers or a donation, please reconnect with an old friend. That’s what would make Jack the happiest. Call up a pal, host a potluck, schedule a trip, get a beer, buy some good whiskey, smoke a cigar, tell an inappropriate joke, and hug and laugh with the people in your life in honor of Jack. A celebration of his life will be held on Wednesday, June 29 at the Hardage-Giddens Funeral Home at Oaklawn Cemetery, 4801 San Jose Blvd, at 4:30 pm. Dress is casual. Some light hor d’oeuvres will be served that Jack would have likely tasted, found wanting, eaten anyway, and tomorrow made the same thing with a surprising twist that made them outstanding. Sorry you won’t get Jack’s version, but come and eat them with us anyway.