John Paul Walek, Jr.

John Paul Walek Jr. “Jack”, 83, resident of Smith Mountain Lake in Franklin County VA, passed away on Wednesday, July 8th 2020 after a short battle with complications from dementia. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Barbara and his four daughters and their spouses; Lisa and Bill Donovan, Beth and Aubrey Simonds, Suzanne Walek, and Alison and Brian Shay of Richmond VA, 8 grandchildren; Adam, Benjamin, Jake, Madison, Holly, Sam, Colin, and Claire, and 5 great-grandchildren. Jack was also blessed to have had a large extended family. He was the eldest brother of 11 beloved brothers and sisters. “Jack” Walek was born on March 14th 1937 to John P. Walek Sr. and Margaret Walek in Butler, NJ. After graduating from Butler High School, Jack worked at Walek’s Liquor store with his father. He volunteered in the Butler fire department for many years, and was a member of the National Guard. In 1973 Jack went on to start and successfully run the first Lawn Doctor franchise in Richmond Virginia for the next 40 years with his wife Barbara. He retired in 2013 to a beautiful home at Smith Mountain lake, where he enjoyed boating and fishing with his family. Jack was a self-made man, determined to provide for his family and give them the life he felt they deserved. His family meant more to him than anything else in the world, something he often mentioned. The world has lost an amazing husband, father, grandfather, friend and story teller. He was a one of a kind that will never be repeated. There will be a Celebration of Life for Jack at a later date. TBD after the pandemic.