Jack Hollingsworth

Jacob Henry “Jack” Hollingsworth, 96, passed on May 14, 2025. His long and happy life ended gently with Jack keeping his dignity and sense of humor until the end. Although Jack was born in Chickasaw, Oklahoma to Arch and Sudie Hollingsworth, he and his parents lived most of his life in East Texas. Jack graduated from Lufkin High School in 1946, went on to attend Rice University and later the University of Texas. In 1949 Jack married his sweetheart and life partner Joyce Lowry and together they raised four children. Jack is survived by his three daughters and their spouses: Kathy & Wayne McCafferty, Susan & Ted McElroy, Mary & Greg Miller, and his daughter-in-law Lynne, widow of his son David. Jack is also survived by seven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. All will miss him immensely. While growing up, the Hollingsworth family mostly lived in Texas, however they also lived for a few years in Oklahoma and Alabama. After the children had grown Jack and Joyce continued their life adventures living in Georgia, Minnesota, Oregon and Alaska. Jack lost his friend and life companion Joyce on March 28, 2018. In the subsequent years Jack alternated living in Georgia and Alaska, and later, until his death, in Round Rock, Texas. A quintessential East Texan male of his time, Jack loved his family, cherished his time in the outdoors hunting and fishing with his father and friends, and enjoyed playing and watching the game of football. He was known for his honesty, integrity, fairness and a delightful sense of humor. Additionally, Jack could produce a wicked batch of Texas Chili and was known for playing a mean game of poker. Even after suffering from partial blindness, it was acknowledged in the family that you played poker against him at your peril. The man rarely lost! A born storyteller, Jack loved recounting stories of his youth growing up in East Texas in the 1930s, many of which were hilarious accounts of his misdeeds. When it came to their family, Jack and Joyce were a united front. They provided love and discipline to their children ensuring that they grew into fine adults. Jack and Joyce made sacrifices so their children could have every opportunity possible to grow and prosper, and their generosity toward their children and grandchildren continued throughout their lives. In his later years, Jack enjoyed spending time on the water, fishing off the coast of Alaska or just absorbing Alaska’s abundant flora and fauna. Still, he gained equal pleasures in visiting with family and friends, and in the simple achievements of finishing a jigsaw puzzle or crossword. Jack was a thoughtful, understated man who absorbed all that happened around him, and in the world, while still being able to laugh and joke with others. He was kind and honorable, shrewd and honest. He was funny and serious, while never taking himself very seriously at all. But mostly, Jack was loved and cherished by those who knew him, and it is impossible to convey how much he will be missed.