Roll Call Tribute

Published in Houston Chronicle from Apr. 27 to Apr. 28, 2019

Jack Spell(1934 - 2019)
Jack E. Spell
1934-2019
On April 14, 2019, Jack Edgar Spell went peacefully to heaven to be with his Lord and Savior forever. He was 85. There was a gentleness and kindness in Jack that will be remembered and missed by all who knew him. His high school yearbook described him well by printing that he was "a gentleman and a scholar."
What marked Jack's life was his faith in God, his devotion to his family, and his love of flying. Jack also found delight in hiking the many well-worn trails of Rocky Mountain National Park each summer. He considered Estes Park, Colorado as his second home.
Jack was born in Houston and raised in Bryan. In 1955, he graduated from Texas A&M as a Chemical Engineer and commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Air Force Reserve. What followed was a 37-year career at Exxon, then known as Humble Oil and Refining Company. His area of expertise was always in the Marketing Dept. dealing with gasoline. However, at the beginning of his job, he took time out to fly with the Air Force where he was stationed at Guam. Upon returning from Guam, Jack resumed working for Humble Oil. Meanwhile, he joined the Texas Air National Guard at Ellington Field in Houston and flew on weekends. As a fighter pilot, he never failed to light up when discussing planes, but especially close to his heart was the F-86D.
Bible Study became important to Jack, and he and Barbara grew in their faith together. In his quiet way, Jack never hesitated to speak of the immeasurable goodness of God, giving Him glory in all things.
Jack is survived by his wife of 58 years, Barbara, whom he cherished and who likewise cherished him. He is also survived by his sons Scott (Ryan), and David (Sheila), and grandson Addison. Other survivors are his sisters-in-law Cynthia Keir (Harry), and Patti Noser (David), along with his nieces and nephews Elizabeth Lilly (Mike and children James and Sarah), Karen Keir and daughter Brittainy, Kip (Kari) and daughter Megan, and Kathryn and Anne Noser.
The Memorial Service will be at the Church of St. John the Divine on Monday, April 29 at 1:00 pm. Memorial gifts may be made to St. John the Divine (sjd.org), Derek Prince Ministries (derekprince.org), or Houston Area Parkinsons Society (hapsonline.org), or to a .