Jack Lawson Coke Jr.'s Obituary
Jack Lawson Coke, Jr.
November 17, 1941, to November 14, 2023
Jack Lawson Coke, Jr., age 81, passed peacefully to be with our Lord on November 14th, 2023. He will be greatly missed by many friends and family. His charisma, character and sense of humor attracted so many people throughout his life. He surrounded himself with love, laughter and friendship, and you couldn’t help not wanting to be his friend. Jack was born in Dallas, Texas on November 17, 1941.
At an early age, he discovered that he loved the outdoors, which brought him closer to his faith in God and to his family. He attended summer camp at Camp Lincoln in Minnesota every summer growing up, where he learned to sail and shoot rifles. He would ultimately become a certified expert marksman and sailing instructor. Sailing would become a passion for him throughout his life. His ambitious nature and his tall stature would bring him to play basketball and then varsity football for the Hillcrest Panthers in high school, where he played center. Jack, like so many generations before him, decided that he wanted to study law and attended Southern Methodist University, where he graduated with honors. In addition to his Juris Doctor degree, he also obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration from the SMU Cox School of Business. During his time at SMU, he was a member of the Delta Epsilon chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity, where he met many lifelong friends. It was also there that he met and married the beautiful Sally Ann Summers in 1963. Together, they had and lost their first child Chari Elaine far too early but were then blessed with their son Lawson in 1970 and their daughter Lauren in 1975.
Jack began practicing law just after graduation with Phinney, Hallman, Pulley and Livingston, a successful and highly acclaimed law firm in Dallas. There, he practiced in many fields but concentrated mostly on transportation law. Throughout his career, he tried cases before the Texas Supreme Court and many appellate courts within the state. His success during his time with the firm would ultimately reward him with becoming a partner. He decided to branch out after several years and create his own law practice, which he solely controlled. He represented numerous clients with great success.
He genuinely loved practicing law, but when he wasn’t trying a case, you could find him almost every weekend on his sailboat. He made many memories with family and friends on that boat. Again, his competitive nature brought him to racing where he won numerous regattas on lake Lewisville and would ultimately become Commodore of the DCYC. He then discovered the open water and became an avid SCUBA diver, logging hundreds of hours underwater and eventually teaching his children to dive and often taking them to his favorite place in Cozumel. If he wasn’t sailing or diving, you could bet he would be attending a hot rod car show or modifying his own. He took so much pride in his 23 Bucket T roadster. He loved to talk about pistols and rifles and a day at the range was an escape. He also had a deep love for his Dallas Cowboys and the State Fair of Texas and its history, making sure he, and then his children and grandchildren made it a family tradition year after year. Either on land or water, his ambition and competitiveness and love of his hometown never wavered and that reflected throughout his life.
Jack’s devotion to his family and his faith in God was something he took great pride in. His two children and four grandchildren were his everything, particularly later in life. He was always calling and visiting them, asking about the latest happenings and accomplishments in their lives, and always beaming and boasting about them to anyone who would listen. During difficult times, Jack would be the one to create a bridge of optimism and positive outlook. Jack has several hardships as most of us do, but his positive demeanor and bigger than life perspective made him who he was. If you knew Jack, you knew how much he loved to talk and learn about everyone he ever came to know. This was evident in the way that he practiced law. Many times, over he would work pro bono for someone who needed representation. That was his philosophy and attitude about life, giving back much more than he received. He was a compassionate soul who loved his faith in God. Early on, he would become a board member of the Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, where he and his family attended services for many years. After retirement, he would become an elder with the Christ United Methodist church of Plano when he joined the Stephens ministry. There he was able to give comfort and fellowship to those who were in need. He was able to give back what so many had given him, faith, hope and fellowship.
A proud man, father, grandfather, brother, friend and attorney, Jack, also known as ‘Pappy,’ is survived by his son James Lawson Coke and wife Jude, and daughter Lauren Coke Walters and husband Wade; grandchildren: Jack and Bryson Coke, Sydney and Quinn Walters; siblings: brother, Stephen Coke and wife Cheryl; sister Dorothy and husband Wayne. He is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews and many friends. He was preceded in death by his father, John (Jack) Lawson Coke, Sr., his mother Dorothy Folsom Coke and his daughter, Chari Elaine Coke.
A small, private service will be held the week of Thanksgiving given the holiday. However, we invite Jack’s entire community of family, friends, fellow congregants, colleagues and others to join us for a memorial service and celebration of his life at 10 a.m., Friday, December 1, 2023. It will be held at Christ United Methodist Church, 3101 Coit Rd., Plano, Texas 75075. The service will also be live streamed here for those unable to make it in person.
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