John T Stark Sr.

John Thomas “Jack” Stark passed away March 5, 2011 surrounded by his loving family. He was born October 20, 1926 in Indianapolis, Indiana, the son of William and Helen Stark, and brother of William “Bud” Stark, Jane Schneider and Robert Stark. He is survived by the love of his life and beloved wife of nearly 61 years, NaDeane Shelton Stark; his eight children and their spouses, John T. Stark Jr., Cynthia and Dean Sherry, Jeff and Loretta Stark, Peter and Monica Stark, Paul and Jan Stark, Patty and Bret Shepard, Danny and Cindy Stark, and Scott Stark; twenty-two grandchildren; his brother Bob; and many loving nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his parents, his brother Bud, his sister Jane, and his beloved grandson, Cooper Shepard.

Jack joined the Navy during WWII at age 17 and served proudly and honorably in the Naval Air Corp. While in the navy he attended Brown University, where he played football, and Butler University, earning a B.A., Chemistry degree. Following graduation, he went to work for Mobil Oil Corp where he spent the next 35 years living and traveling throughout the country, spending time in Wausau, WI, Duluth, MN, Denver, CO, Dallas, TX, Vienna, VA and Valley Forge, PA. Jack loved his years with Mobil and made many life-long friends during his years there. He was living in Valley Forge when he retired from Mobil in 1984 as the Mid-Atlantic Commercial Division Manager. After retiring, he moved with NaDeane back to Texas so they could be close to their grown children. They settled in Plano and soon joined Prince of Peace Catholic Community, where Jack served as usher every Sunday for many years, greeting all with his wonderful smile, a kind word, or a quick joke. Jack was deeply devoted to his Catholic faith and his family. Sunday was his favorite day of the week because his family often came by for breakfast after church or for Sunday dinner in the afternoon. He loved a crowd and was happiest when surrounded by his kids and grandkids. Of course, they provided an audience for his never-ending tall tales, shaggy dog stories and practical jokes!

Jack’s retirement years were anything but restful. He quickly obtained his real estate brokerage license and enjoyed working in the commercial real estate business in the Dallas area for many years. He played golf and tennis at Prestonwood Country Club, where he made many new friends and regaled all with tales of his adventures on the golf course - some of which might even be true! With a tennis racket in hand, Jack was pure magic; he played with wings on his feet and could fly over the court like nobody’s business. Always ready to make the return, he won far more matches than he ever lost. But as much as Jack loved tennis and golf, he probably enjoyed sailing the most – how he loved to sail! Over the years he owned boats at White Rock Lake, Lake Texoma and Lake Lavon, and he loved sailing them all. He could often be seen sailing into the marina with a boat full of family and friends as the sun was dropping low in the western sky. To him, an evening on the sailboat with his loved ones was as close to heaven on earth as he could get.

Jack also had a passion for work. A few years after retiring from Mobil he fired off what he called his “Let Us Work” letter to the Dallas Morning News, in which he argued that many retired people like him were in good health, wanted to work, and could share their expertise with organizations needing managerial help. His letter led to an invitation from the Environmental Protection Agency to apply for their National Older Workers Career Center program. He hired on with the EPA in 1997 and worked hard and happily with them until the end of his life, teaching firemen, first responders and other emergency personnel about chemical and air modeling to help them interpret the dangers associated with accidental spills. His job with the EPA allowed him to travel and meet hundreds of new people every year, which gave him great happiness and joy.

Jack gave all who knew and loved him great happiness and joy. He was a devoted and loving husband, a fantastic father, a fabulous grandfather, a great friend and a very funny entertainer. He loved to laugh and loved to have fun, doing everything he did with zest and zeal. Jack will be dearly missed by many for a long, long time.

A Funeral Mass will be said for Jack on Friday, March 11, 2011 at 1 p.m., Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 5100 Plano Parkway West, Plano, Texas 75093. Please join us as we celebrate Jack’s life and place him in the hands of the Lord. A reception will follow in St. James Hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Prince of Peace Catholic Community.