Jack L. Denton

Jack Leonard Denton was born on February 1,1930 in El Paso, Texas, to his loving parents, Emmett and Alma Denton. Emmett passed away when Jack was only 9 years old, and Alma raised him by herself for almost 3 years. When Jack was 12, Alma married Curtis Blaylock who quickly established a strong bond with young Jack. Jack always had many wonderful stories and fond memories of his childhood. He graduated from Austin High School in El Paso in 1948, not knowing that his future wife, Nancy, would graduate from the same high school one year later.

After high school, he took a job with the railroad and spent many late nights switching cars on the railways. Some of his favorite stories came from his time working at the train yard. In 1950, he enlisted in the Air Force and served his country from 1950-1954. In April 1955, a family friend introduced Jack to Nancy Murdock. They fell in love and were married 5 days before Christmas on December 20, 1955. They honeymooned in Ruidoso, New Mexico, which became a favorite vacation spot for their family through the years.

Jack and Nancy moved to Austin, Texas while Jack attended the University of Texas, where he received his degree in architecture. In the years ahead, they had three children: Julie, Larry, and Jack. The next few years would be spent in Las Cruces, New Mexico and Indianapolis, Indiana as Jack worked with architecture firms in those cities. In April of 1970, the family settled in DeSoto, Texas, in a home he designed. In 1972, Jack joined HKS Architects in Dallas, and would rise to the position of Vice President, working as the project architect on various projects across Dallas and all over the country. He was honest, hardworking, and well respected in the firm and frequently mentored young architects during his 22 years at HKS.

Jack had a love of photography and was a member of the Dallas Camera Club for many years. He and Nancy enjoyed traveling to places where he could take beautiful pictures of the mountains and God’s creation. One of his favorite things was showing some of his hundreds of slides to the family during gatherings at their home. He was also a member of the DeSoto Lions Club and enjoyed being involved in his community in a variety of ways.

As Jack and Nancy’s children got married and started having children of their own, he became “Grandpa Jack”, and later “Pa-per”, to his six grandchildren who adored him. His family brought him great joy, and he was always ready to play with the kids when they were little. As they grew, he did his best to attend every event, concert, and recital in which they participated.

Jack was dedicated to the Lord and to the First Methodist Church of Dallas, where he and his family attended for many years. Additionally, he took great pride in being a member of the church choir. Around 2001, the family began losing Nancy to Alzheimer’s disease. It was a very difficult journey, but even in her last days, she recognized her beloved Jack and would always give him a big smile. He visited her in the nursing home every day, twice a day on most days, to help care for her and feed her. Married for 64 years, their love shone through in the toughest of times and was a beautiful example to all around them. When Nancy passed away in May of 2020, he was heartbroken. During his remaining years, Jack very much looked forward to being reunited with her, as well as their precious daughter, Julie, who passed away in 2021.

Jack is survived by his two sons and their spouses: Larry Denton (Reta), Jack Denton (Melissa); 6 Grandchildren: Blake Marvin (Jenny), Christa Close (Bryan), Taryn Denton, Lauren Denton, Jonathan Denton, Megan Denton; 4 Great Grandchildren: Ethan Close, Peyton Close, Hudson Marvin, Henley Marvin; as well as many nieces and nephews and extended family members who loved him very much.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2:00pm, Saturday, June 13, 2026, at Shannon Rufe Snow Funeral Chapel, 6001 Rufe Snow Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76148.