Jack Loyd Bland

Jack was born December 17, 1965, in Houston, Texas and other than a short stint in Georgia, he was a life-long resident of Houston.

Jack is lovingly remembered by his mother and stepfather, Rebecca and Mark Umberson; brothers, Kenneth Wayne Bland, Jr. and his wife, DeeDee; Kerry Lee Bland and his wife, Karena; sister, Melina Ann Bland Flint; son, Steven Pearson; granddaughter, Aleyah Nicole; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his father, Kenneth Wayne Bland, Sr.; paternal grandparents, John Loyd and Mable Bland; and maternal grandparents, Jack and Georgette Cheek.

Family was important to Jack. While in Georgia, he went over 15 yrs without really seeing his family. When he finally made it back to Texas, he wanted to make up for lost time. He really enjoyed spending time and being around his loved ones. He especially enjoyed hanging out with the new generation of young nieces and nephews in his life. Jack was also crazy about animals. It didn’t matter what type of animal, he loved them all. He enjoyed the basic things in life and relished being in nature. He loved going fishing almost as much as he loved cooking. He was also a passionate cook and tried to make everything as gourmet as he could, that meant adding a jar of premium olive oil, multiple bell peppers, and cloves of garlic to everything he cooked. he especially liked extra virgin lived oil. He added that over everything he ate.

Early in his teen years, he showed an interest in truck driving. This stemmed from accompanying his childhood friend, Joe Smart, and his father on some long haul runs. But, Jack put his desire to drive on for a bit and went into the construction field. He took great pride in his skill level as a backhoe operator. He was one of the best. Jack got his start in the construction field working for his uncles. He knew he could always call either Ralph or Tommy and they’d help him find a spot on one of their construction crews. The job would last for just about as long as Jack could hold his temper and whichever uncle Jack was working for at the time, he’d call the other uncle and head over to their job site. This cycle repeated itself probably until he moved to Georgia. But, even in Georgia, he’d threaten his wife and say he was moving back to Texas. He’d call his Uncle Ralph and say, “Hey, I’m coming back. I need a job.” Ralph’s answer would always be the same. “If you come back here, I’ve got a job waiting for you.”

In his 40’s, Jack was finally able to leave construction and realized his dream of being a long haul truck driver. This was something that he didn’t think he would ever be able to do, but he did it!

Jack will be laid to rest at RestHaven Cemetery next to his father and Paternal grandparents. He will surely be missed. Hopefully, now he has found the peace that he never really seemed to attain in this life.