Jack Wallin

Ollie “Jack” Wallin faced two pandemics in his 101 years of life. He was born in Texola, Oklahoma on September 6, 1918 during the Spanish Flu pandemic. He died in Vallejo, California on April 15, 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jack was born to Ruby Arliva (Smith) and Walter Silas Wallin. He was the “baby” of the family with an older brother, Son (Walter Lavoy) and Sis (Alpha Mae). He is survived by his daughter, Lani and her husband, Joseph Sinclair of Vallejo, CA and their children, Brook and Thomas; son, Monty, and his wife, Nyla Wallin, of Oklahoma City and their children, Ronnie, Jeremy (Joy) and Gigi (Avi); six great-grandchildren: Ari Wallin, Shai Nardia, Simon Nardia, Elle Wallin, Gefen Nardia and Oriana Nardia, and nieces, Ruby Wallin Brush, Leslye Shaw Wilkes, and nephew, Kelly Shaw, as well as their spouses and great nieces and nephews.

At the height of the great depression, 16-year-old Jack moved out of his parents’ homes to begin supporting himself. In 1936 he graduated from Cushing High School. After high school, Jack moved to Stillwater and enrolled in Oklahoma State University (Oklahoma A&M), where he worked two jobs to pay for college. One job was in the kitchen of a fraternity house, which became Pi Kappa Alpha (he was a charter member of the Pikes). His second job was at the C.R. Anthony Department Store #1, where he started working in high school in 1934 in Cushing, OK.

In 1940, Jack met his wife, Mary, at the breakfast table of the boarding house where he lived. On July 6, 1941, they married at her mother’s home in Oklahoma City. Jack and Mary were married for 72 years and four months, until Mary passed away in 2013. Neither took off their wedding rings until their death.

Before graduating from college, Jack joined the US Army Air Corp (predecessor to the Air Force) after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. He was stationed at the W&B Flying School in Chickasha, where he helped train cadets. He was recognized for the efficiency of his processes. After the training base was closed, Jack joined the Navy where he worked as a control tower operator in Inyokern, California. Both he and Mary were at Inyokern, California when the “heat-seeking missile” was being developed.

After the war, Jack moved back to Stillwater and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business in 1947. He then returned to work at Anthony’s where he had a 43-year-long career. When the company opened Store #100 in Oklahoma City, Mr. Anthony selected Jack as the manager to celebrate the milestone. Jack’s “the customer is always right” approach inspired customer loyalty. Jack was always positive. Over the course of his career, Jack managed six Anthony stores, mentoring, and developing numerous store managers until he retired in 1985.

Jack was a thoughtful and selfless individual who made you feel like you were the only person who mattered. If you were a customer in need, he gave you a discount; if you needed a listening ear, he was your guy; if you were a missionary, he would provide you with donations from the store. During the Christmas season, he partnered with the Communication Workers of America to provide a full set of clothes, including coats and gloves to children in need. He always had other peoples’ success and happiness on his mind and in his heart. To this day, people share stories of Jack’s kindness, generosity, and how they love shopping at "his store."

Jack’s values showed at work and in his leisure time. He was a cub scout leader and the MC at the Blue Bird banquet. He helped start the North Oklahoma City Rotary club and had perfect attendance in Rotary for 57 years. Every store he managed participated in the annual United Way fund raising drive. At Christmas, you could see Jack ringing the Salvation Army bell and taking donations. Jack made a profession of faith in Jesus as a child and served in the church as long as he was able. He served at Northwest Baptist Church and Nichols Hills (now Quail Springs) Baptist Church in Oklahoma City. He was on the Finance Committee, taught Sunday school and Vacation Bible School, and helped ramp up the senior group, “Leisure Livewires”. He and Mary loved their church and their church friends – especially the BYKOTA (Be Ye Kind One to Another) Sunday school class. Every week they went to “Friday night in the big town”. After he moved to California, he attended Northgate Christian Fellowship in Benicia. Even as the oldest person in the congregation (101), he told jokes and Navy stories to the pastor and anyone else who would listen.

Jack lived life a full life and had fun wherever he went. He taught his grandchildren and great grandchildren how to hang a spoon from their noses, get a straw wrapper to stick to the ceiling, and when joking around he would say, “let me show you a Navy trick”,” In his later years, Jack loved to give out two-dollar bills to strangers because many people had never seen a two-dollar bill. With the bill came a story of how WWII pilots kept two-dollar bills in their hats for good luck. Jack never met a stranger. He told riddles and jokes wherever he went. He especially enjoyed telling jokes in the elevator – “a captive audience,” he would say. One of his favorites, was “What would you do if you had a blue whale? Why, if he is blue, you would cheer him up”. That is Jack’s legacy and lesson: Always bring cheer to others.

In lieu of flowers, please show your love by donating to the Salvation Army or specifically to Jack’s Memorial Page at https://give.salvationarmyusa.org/team/295733