Lt. Col. Jack Livingston Drain (Retired)

Jack Livingston Drain, of Bedford, Texas, passed away on March 10, 2023 in Fort Worth, Texas. He will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to all that knew and loved him. He was born on April 28, 1929, in Dallas to Roy and Rosa (Livingston) Drain.

Jack graduated from Hillcrest High School in Vickery, now a suburb of Dallas. He then attended Texas Tech for two years before joining the U.S. Air Force in 1950. He was deployed to Korea in 1952 and came home the following year to marry Carolyn Burgess on August 22, 1953. They had three children by birth and raised a niece and nephew as their own. Jack spent 21 years total in the USAF, also serving in Vietnam, flying 268 missions in the process, before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1971. Jack and Carolyn lived in France and Spain as well as several other states in the US during their military life. Jack also finished his degree at Oklahoma State University.

Following the military, Jack had a successful career in the finance and insurance industries before retiring in 1999. He wrote a book about his life and time in the military called Life on a Short Fuse, self-published in 2009. He was an active member of The Hills Church, having served as a deacon leading the Family Care Ministry and later as a chaplain to area hospitals. He also had the privilege of officiating many weddings.

Jack is survived by his wife Carolyn of 69 years, his son Jeff (Vickie) of Harrison, Arkansas; daughter Suzanne Painter of Bedford; niece Lisa Skoro of Fort Worth; nephew John Skoro (Amy) of Plano; and son David (Joli) of Fort Worth as well as 13 grandchildren and 9 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his sister Frances Manning.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either the Community Enrichment Center (cechope.org), Christ’s Haven for Children (christshaven.org), or Lions Club (lionsclubs.org). Online condolences may be made by visiting www.bluebonnethills.com. If you wish to send floral condolences in honor of Jack, you may call Bice’s Florist at (817) 299-3366.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.bluebonnethills.com for the Drain family.