Jack William Heisel Sr.

December 3, 1933–November 27, 2021

Jack was one week from turning 88, passed away in Longmont, Colorado on Nov. 27, 2021 with family by his side.

Born in 1933 in St. Louis, MO, Jack moved to Atlanta a few years later. As a child in Atlanta, he delivered papers around his Morningside Atlanta neighborhood through “rain, sleet, and snow.” Jack aka “Action Jackson” Heisel was a huge personality who impacted many he met. As a teenager when his parents were out of town, he chopped down a tree in order to build a backboard for practicing tennis. This started his lifelong passion for the game of tennis.

After graduating from Grady High School, he attended Georgia Tech where he received a BS in Industrial Management. At Georgia Tech he was in the ROTC, Sigma Chi Fraternity, and played #1 singles on the tennis team. After college, he served in the Army after starting in the Air Force and was deployed to Korea for two years. While in Korea, he played trombone in the Army Band playing before thousands of soldiers.

Following the Army, he worked in various roles at Texaco for twenty two years. Always a tennis aficionado, he earned numerous rankings from the state to national level. Moreover, he supported the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association (ALTA) as Vice President, player, and coach. Jack’s sanctuary was the tennis backboard in Atlanta’s Brookwood Hills neighborhood where he would be found for hours on end or the adjacent courts he frequented. After Texaco, he worked numerous sales jobs including BMW sales and finished his career in security management at Barton.

After retirement, Jack continued playing tennis tournaments and was consistently ranked in the Southeast and nation for his age group. Jack enjoyed spending time with his family in Texas, Georgia and in the mountains of Colorado.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 54 years, Mary Whitman Heisel and sons, John Heisel (wife Elizabeth O’Neill) of Niwot, CO, Neel Heisel (wife Karen Heisel) of Austin, TX and four grandchildren ages 20 to 4 months, Lydia Heisel, Josie Heisel, Wiley Heisel O’Neill and Rowan Heisel O’Neill.

Those who knew Jack may remember his big heart, curiosity, and zest for life. He was known to say "never quit learning about everything and everyone you meet".

In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to The Humane Society of Boulder Valley (www.boulderhumane.org) in his name.