My Big Jack

On April 10th, the world lost a great man. And, more specifically, my family lost a Big Jack. 

My grandfather was born Jack Harold Bonner in Webb, Mississippi on April 14, 1924, and was raised in Cruger, Mississippi until his service in World War II as a Marine. He married my Meemaw and moved to Dallas where they raised four kids, grandparents of eleven, and great-grandparents of too many to count.

My grandfather, my Big Jack, was a strong man who I admired greatly for his perseverance and love of life. I remember him as a man who always wanted to try new things, from karate to guitar playing to culinary arts to reading sheet music.

You can find his official obituary here.

What I remember about Big Jack are things like the Saturday mornings when we lived at the Lippitt house, he and Meemaw would come by and pick up my sister and me and take us to Braum's. We would have lunch, tell him about our week at school, and then we got to go order our own ice cream cone. I remember him showing up at my softball games at Paschall Park and other places and giving me his critique of my pitching and hitting performance (especially hitting!). I remember endless days of sitting in "his chair"...my family knows the one I'm talking about. The spinning easy chair right next to his guitar and amplifier and tuner. I remember sitting in his lap, fiddling with every single synthesizer/timing button it had and then watching him pluck a few songs for us. All the while, Meemaw would be sitting in her chair watching whatever show she had on (usually the news or NASCAR). He was there at my wedding, my college graduation, and he got to meet Braden and see photos of a just-born Landri.

The man I remember was tall, fit, and the expression on his face for most signaled that he was either measuring you up or thinking deeply about something. He was an intimidating figure. But to his grandchildren, he was just our Big Jack and he saved the spoiling for us :)


I miss him every day.