Services for John “Jack” Charles Lees Jr. will be held on Wednesday May 15th, 2019 1 p.m. at Eternal Hills Memorial Park in Oceanside, California. He passed away peacefully on Saturday, May 11, 2019 with his daughters Diane and Susan Adele by his side.
Jack was born on March 21, 1934 in Bronx, New York. He was born to John Charles Lees and Grace Agnes Devlin and was the second of 5 children. He was raised in the Bronx by his paternal grandmother Mary “Mae” M. Newboult. As a boy he loved to play stick ball in the streets and run the 60-yard dash. He was quite proud of his running prowess and won almost every race from other challengers.
Jack dropped out of high school at age 16 when he enlisted in the Navy, where he served on the USS Midway from 1953-1954. He was quite proud to have served on the Midway’s maiden Pacific voyage. During his time on the Midway it was the largest ship in the world. Upon leaving the Navy Jack returned home to finish high school and earned his diploma by attending night classes.
The day after graduation he married his first wife MaryAnn Straub with whom he had two children, Susan Adele and John Charles Lees III. It was during those years that he began his career in the stock brokerage business with EF Hutton. His first position there was in the wire room.
Jack married his second wife Norma Nix Tarver, with whom he had one daughter, Diane. He also became the proud step-father to Mark Tarver and Susan Dee Tarver. While working at EF Hutton he also held down a job at the Los Angeles Times to help support his growing family. During those years he enjoyed his time on the firm’s softball teams, bowled on several leagues and discovered golf.
In 1987 he married his third wife, Noretta “Rita” Coffey Taylor Stainback and became the proud step-father to James R. Taylor, Sandra L. Stainback and Raymond R. Stainback. He continued to work in the stock brokerage business and survived many mergers. After a distinguished career spanning 44 years, he eventually retired with Smith Barney, a Fortune 500 company as the Sr. Executive Vice President. It was through Jack’s sheer grit, determination, and intelligence that he would leave home as a teenager and years later rise to the top of his field.
Jack and Rita retired to Escondido California in 2000 to begin their new adventure. They both enjoyed traveling and Jack continued his passion of playing golf. One of Jack's proudest achievements during his golf career was having made a hole in 1 on two different occasions, the most recent at the age of 81.
In 2014 he lost Rita to cancer. As a loving and devoted father to his eight children, he spent the remainder of his years enjoying time with them and their growing families. Of all Jack's achievements in life, his proudest was his family.
Jack is survived by his eight children, Susan Adele and husband Dave Rutherford, John Charles Lees III and wife Susie, Mark Tarver, Susan Dee Tarver, Diane Lees Peterson, James R. Taylor, Sandra L. Stainback, Raymond R. Stainback and wife Darcy Eaton, seventeen grandchildren, and thirteen, soon to be fourteen great grandchildren. He will be dearly missed and remembered as a kind and compassionate husband, father, uncle, grandfather, great grandfather and friend.
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