Please go to the link "Carolyn's Blog" to read Carolyn's eulogy for Jack. Doug was kind enough to read it at the service. Thank-you , Doug. The videographer is still working on the DVD of the service...as soon as I have the final copy I will mail a copy to you. Let me know if you would like one.
I would like to thank Carolyn, Blake, Kiera, Leanna, Kaede and Mac, for the honor and privilege of sharing with you this celebration of Jack’s life.
31 years ago this month I met Jack at the Sheraton. He was the food and beverage manager and I was hoping to become his assistant. I was fresh out of college at the time. Well that did happen, and it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship and love that would see us both experience many of what life’s adventures has to offer. It is those adventures that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
My dad reminds me that these are things that no one can ever take from you.
We saw each other marry and we both stood up for each other as best men.
We romped on the beaches of Club Med in Martinique and the pink sands of Bermuda, and like pirates on the Caribbean, we never took prisoners.
We worked together at Headliner’s in New Hampshire. A raucous place famous for up and coming rock and rollers and those stars that were soon to fade into history. There was a lot of fun to be had there, but in retrospect, we probably had way too much fun. Carolyn frequently reminds me of those days.
We worked together at Dame Associates and when Jack left with his family for Cincinnati, my heart had a void, that at the time I thought would never heal but it did.
And the summer vacations here in Green Harbor, where I was always made to feel part of the family was always special. These were always good times, where the Heinekins were cold, the company and companionship great, and the competitive clang of the horseshoes rang out over the beach.
Earlier I mentioned my time together with Jack in Boxborough at the Sheraton.
Someone somewhere once said that “There is a reason for everything”.
Take note of the bright yellow tablecloths covering the tables.
That day when I met jack for the first time he was wearing a yellow suit the same shade as those tablecloths. I was so glad that day that he was not wearing white patent leather shoes.
As the kayak glides out into green harbor, Jack’s remains will forever become a part of Green Harbor- his place, a special place for him that he truly loved not only for himself, but for his family and friends as well. Jack liked to be surrounded by the people that meant the most to him.
Last summer Jack and I were sitting together at the back of the house late in the afternoon. It took me years to figure out that the back of the house was actually the front of the house, but most of you know what I mean. This was my last time to be with Jack. It is a point in time that my heart and memory will embrace for the rest of my life. It was on the porch that jack reached out to me to help him up out of the chair. That was not like Jack, but it did give me a final emotional and physical contact with a man that I truly loved.
So whether you are a wife, child, or a grandchild to be, a sister, a nephew, a niece, a relative, or a friend, remember that he was in part repaid for his kindnesses and caring for his family by passing from this life gently and that only the physical is being carried away in that kayak…he is being carried in our hearts and minds and he will still be available, at least in thought, to each of us forever.
Jack passed away on May 21st due to the recurrence of a brain tumor. He was diagnosed with a Grade IV astrocytoma on May 8, 2006. He underwent surgery, radiation treatments and chemotherapy over this past year.
Surviving him are his wife Carolyn and their children Leanna, Kaede and Mac as well as his children, Blake and Keira, from his first marriage to Nancy (Lupo). He is also survived by two of his seven sisters, Betty Sabino of Quincy, Massachusetts and Beverly (Pucky) Roschke of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Jack spent his teenage years with his sister Betty, her husband 'Doc' Sabino and their children Barbara, Tony and Laney at their beach house in Green Harbor, MA. He graduated from Marshfield High School and attended Boston University. While stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, he served as a helicopter mechanic for the US Army.
His career in the restaurant business included The Elbo Room in Ft. Lauderdale, Hugo’s Lighthouse in Cohasset, The Last Hurrah in Boston and The Phoenix in Cincinnati, just to name a few. When he owned Ward Six, he was honored with a “Best of Cincinnati” award for the best mashed potatoes and was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel.
An excellent bartender and outstanding cook, he enjoyed reading, playing horseshoes on the beach, watching Jeopardy and fishing. His sense of humor, honesty and obstinate Irish charm will be missed.
In tribute to Jack, an Open House was held at his home in West Chester, OH on May 25th. In August, a Memorial Service will be held in Green Harbor, MA. As he requested, he was cremated at Avance Crematory on June 7, 2007.
His family is grateful to the staff at West Chester Family Physicians, Good Samaritan Hospital, Precision Radiotherapy and Hospice of Cincinnati for the compassionate care he received this past year. Carolyn is so appreciative for the unbelievable support from University Anesthesia Associates during his illness.
Condolences may be sent to Avance Funeral Home and Crematory in Fairfield , Ohio, or posted here as a "COMMENT." A link to Avance Funeral Home is provided for you.
If you would like to donate to Jack's favorite charity, please mail a check to:
Green Harbor Beach Association
PO Box # 192
Green Harbor, Mass.
02041
We are going to make a book in tribute to Jack for his children. Would you like to add a comment or an anecdote? A memory, a story, a sentiment you'd like to share would be greatly appreciated.
It's easy. Just click on the word "COMMENTS" at the end of this text. Then, choose "ANONYMOUS."
So that we know who you are, first type in your name and how you knew Jack. Then type in your comment. Make sure you hit the orange button to PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT! If you want to provide contact information, please do it here.
Thanks so much.
