Happy Birthday, Jack! 
I miss so much about you: your hugs & kisses, how cute you were with Isabel, hearing you play your guitar, your kind voice & funny voicemails, your yummy cooking, hearing about your bike rides, how you enjoyed coaching and mentoring the softball girls, how you’d play tricks with Petey, your many stories, your weekly trips to Costco, our trips to Sedona, Winona and the UP, how you’d watch several sport events on multiple devices at once, how you’d keep in touch with friends just when they needed it, how you’d make friends chatting while we were waiting in line for something, how you’d find new TV shows to watch, and of course your warm, gentle, presence next to me. Sending love to you today and forever. 

I was just thinking about Jack for the first time in a long while and thought I would drop him a line. It was a shock to discover from the T.E.A. Productions website that he had gone to the Lord.

Jack and I connected in the early 1990s after I reached out to him to arrange an interview with Gene Pitney for Goldmine magazine. At that time, Gene was in the midst of a high-profile comeback, with a concert planned for Carnegie Hall. When the concert (which was amazing) took place, I met Jack in person backstage and had the opportunity to chat with him. We stayed in touch by email and occasionally by phone for some years; he assisted me as I contacted him with questions related to liner notes that I was writing on Gene. I'm very sorry there won't be any more opportunities to connect with him in this life. My condolences go out to his family and everyone who loved him.

Thinking of you, Jack, on my birthday. My life won’t ever be the same without you and I’m blessed to have spent over 45 years with you.  Thank you for the wonderful memories. And thank you for our two lovely daughters, your kind brother, Pat, and all the friends that you brought into our lives. Forever yours, Rachel XOXO

*** Posted on behalf of Joe Luoma***

On 8/11/89 Jack had The Fabulous Jaguars back a big 60's R&R extravaganza at the Ravinia Outdoor Theater in Highland Park, north of Chicago. We played with Peter Noone (he was great), Alex Chilton (Yeah!), Martha and the Vandellas, (Yes) and Q (?). Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels (Super cool) and Gary Puckett (  ) were also on the bill.

While setting up earlier for rehearsals this slippery-looking guy walks in wearing a leather jacket with "96 Tears Forever" plastered on the back. Of course it's the singer of the one-hit wonder band, Question Mark & the Mysterians, to rehearse some tunes who prefers to be called Q.           

After we went over his three allotted songs he wanted to do "Satisfaction" by The Stones so we did. Jack heard us playing this and after came
to me and said Q is only doing three songs so don't do any more and I assured him that we'd keep it at three.

Well... There's a packed house and Q starts the show with two unremarkable tunes and then his big hit, "96 Tears," which got a big response.
He then turns around and yells "Satisfaction" to me and counts to four and I just sit there with my hands at my side and stare at him.

Wow, was that super awkward - if he would've had a gun I might not be telling this story. I was actually thinking about using a cymbal if he had a gun- or a mic stand if he breached the drum riser- for self-defense. I was also hoping for the stage lights to dim but no dice.

Jack to the rescue - He came flying out of the stage right, grabbed the mic out of Q's hand while asked the audience for a big round of applause, and aggressively pulled Q off the stage... but he made it look sooo smooth, what a pro!

Thank You Jack. I'll never forgot you and all the crazy and sweet stories plus the opportunities you gave me.

Love, Joe

I was very saddened to hear about Jack's passing. I haven't seen Jack in quite a few years but he'll always have a special place in my heart. My summers as a young girl and young teen were spent going from tournament to tournament, reading the signs from Jack as he stood at the third baseline, keeping cold towels on our necks, and running out to the outfield with his daughter, Katie. Many winters were spent inside at Eisenhower elementary working on our batting form. He always had a smile, always made you feel good and was always a delight to be around. Sending my biggest of hugs, thoughts and prayers. 

I am part of a group of Jack’s friends from high school and college. We seem to have had minimal contact the last number of years, but Jack brought us together again through bi-weekly zoom gatherings about a year ago. We have had a lot of fun catching up with each other and retelling stories from St. Cloud days. The details of every story were not always remembered in the same way by everyone, but the telling of them provided a lot of laughs. I always loved Jack’s laugh and I loved that he usually laughed at the things that I said! I am grateful that we had a chance to reconnect. He will be missed by many. 

As we know, Jack was a smart, sociable, and talented guy. He was both fun and very funny. At 3 a.m. driving back to the Cities from North Dakota, he was somebody you wanted in the van. 
I so admired his contributions in playing guitar, keyboards, and bass while handling the bulk of singing, booking jobs, settling accounts at the end of the night, and being a great conversationalist. And NO ONE was better at handling a crowd. He was a Master. We are stunned at his passing but can always look to his warm and friendly manner which, although gone, really isn't very far away. Love to Rachel and Sara. Peace. 

My deepest sympathies for your loss I wish you strength and healing for your family. Every time I was with Jack he was happy and carried such a big smile. He was a good man, who will be missed