John T "Jack" Best's Obituary
John “Jack” Taylor Best
1940-2024
Jack was born on April 19, 1940, in Lakewood, OH to Raymond and Marjorie Best. On his 4th birthday, his gift was a baby brother named Paul. Throughout his youth he loved playing practical jokes, his favorite was leaving a flaming bag of dog poo on a neighbor’s doorstep, knocking on the door, then hiding somewhere close by to see the person’s attempt to stomp out the flames.
He graduated from Lakewood High School, and then spent time working on the steamships in Lake Erie. He spent 2 years at Ohio State University studying engineering, before enlisting in the United States Marine Corps. He completed at least two tours in Vietnam between 1963 to 1967, reaching the rank of Sergeant. He was proud of his service to his country and of being a Marine. Semper Fi.
He married Kathy Sheehan on May 18, 1968, and had 4 children while living in Cleveland, OH. The family moved to Gig Harbor, WA in 1979 from Cleveland to get away from the cold winters and for better schools. On that drive West, in his Shelby Cobra, he would frequently ask us if we wanted to “blow this guy’s doors off?!” (Of course we would say YES!) as he would floor it and fly by another car in the slow lane.
He spent his career working for Ma Bell and Qwest, working swing shift and nights for the majority of his career.
He loved road trips, Mount Rainier, Ocean Shores, baseball games at Cheney Stadium, muscle cars, swap meets, drag races, and car shows. He could tell you about any episode of Mash, loved black and white westerns, and regularly had Fox News blaring.
He loved pugs and owned his first one, Daphne, in the 1970’s before they were trendy. His last pug, a black pug named Emily was his companion into retirement.
He had an insatiable sweet tooth and would never turn down dessert, especially lemon meringue pie.
He was an avid coin collector, to the point that we threatened to block the number for his dealer.
He will always be remembered for a few phrases: “Do you think money grows on trees”, “I think you’re making a big mistake kid”, “I don’t know kid”, and “put on your war face”.
He had the innate ability to pick out the perfect presents for his grandchildren over the years. He was a quiet man of few words, but he always had the back of those he loved, especially in tough situations. He was the voice of reason and would do research to keep family in the know before they made a big decision. He never missed a birthday, cake and ice cream were an absolute must, and made a big deal about special milestone birthdays, like ¼ century and 1/3 century.
He passed away peacefully with family on March 15, 2024, in Tacoma, WA.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his younger brother, Paul, and his son Jason. He is survived by his children: Elayne Best (David Boyce), Doug Best (Amy Best) and Karyn Best; his grandchildren Odin, Claryce and Taelon; his sister-in-law, Nancy; and his nieces, Rebecca and Amy.
As a family, we are eternally grateful for the care he received from the doctors, nurses, caregivers, and other medical professionals over the last year. Thank you for everything you do, and the support you provided us.
It’s so hard to sum up a person’s life in a few words. We, his kids, would love for his family and friends to share their stories, memories and photos with us. We miss you Dad, you will not be forgotten.
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