John "Jack" Dacre

John R. “Jack” Dacre was born July 2, 1944 in Cleveland, OH to Eva (Kozelka) Dacre. In September of 1946, his mother passed away, and Jack and his two brothers, Bruce and Ken, were adopted by his maternal grandparents, John R. and Eleanor Kozelka. His grandparents were assisted by his uncle, Robert J. Kozelka, a.k.a. Uncle Bob. His grandparents died in 1957/1958, and he was assisted by Uncle Bob until he graduated from James Ford Rhodes High School in 1962.

Upon graduation from High School, he attended Heidelberg College for one semester to play basketball. He then transferred to Ohio University to be with his two brothers. In January of 1965, Jack was injured in an automobile accident which rendered him a quadriplegic. While living in nursing homes following the accident, a nurse and mother to 10 children, Mary DeTemple, took Jack under her wing. He was recognized as her 11th child in her eulogy. He was unable to finish college until 1972 when he graduated from Otterbein College while living in a nursing home. That was one of the proudest moments of his life. Later that year, he was employed at Dodd Hall, The Ohio State University Hospital’s rehabilitation center. In his early years at Dodd Hall, he was instrumental in the establishment of Creative Living. He was one of its original members and served as the Executive Secretary/Treasurer for several years. He was the principal in a mini-film, STILL LIFE, to promote the need for independent living for young disabled individuals. During the 1970s, he spoke to numerous civic and community organizations regarding the need for accessible housing, among other aspects of life, for individuals with severe physical disabilities. The Seratoma Club awarded him the 1974 Service to Mankind Award. Jack worked in an administrative capacity at Dodd Hall until 1980. In 1982, he was hired at Battelle Memorial Institute where he first worked in computer programming and later as a communications analyst. He was forced to retire from Battelle in 1999 because of secondary complications from his quadriplegia. He was an avid, long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan (he attended the ’64 NFL Championship game) as well as an Ohio State basketball fan (featured as fan of the month back in the 80’s) as well as a fan of OSU football and the Cleveland Indians/Guardians.

Jack is preceded in death by his brother, Bruce Dacre. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Jan, who was his dedicated caregiver for close to 40 years; his brother and best friend Ken Dacre; sister-in-law Sandra Dacre; step-daughter Julie (Dave Hores) Judge; grandson Julian Judge (who he held very special); and numerous other relatives and (he hopes) many friends.

After 60 years as a quadriplegic, there have been so many friends, too numerous to name, who have gone out of their way to extend a much-needed helping hand. Jack extends a sincere thank you to each one.

Per Jack’s wishes, no services will be held.

In his memory, he asks that you say a prayer for him and do something nice for someone special to you.

In lieu of flowers, any donations may be made to Creative Living at https://creative-living.org/, Wreaths Across America at https://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/, or to Samaritan’s Purse at https://www.samaritanspurse.org/.