Jack Bell Koester

Note: This obituary was written by Jack’s sister, Mary Koester Blary.  I hope to represent our family and his many friends, all of whom loved Jack fiercely.

Jack passed away peacefully with his daughter and her husband, his sister, and his niece at his side at Elkhart General Hospital on the evening of August 3, 2024.

Cremation has taken place at Geisen-Carlisle Funeral Home.  Burial and family services will take place at a later date in the historic Rock Creek Cemetery, Ollie, Iowa, where his maternal great-grandparents, grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are buried, and where his brother and his wife, and his sister and her husband will be buried beside him.

Jack was preceded in death by his infant sister, Julie Jacqueline; infant brother, Jeffrey; his parents; his niece, Deborah; and his beloved sister-in-law, Judy.  He is survived by his brother, Tony; his sister, Mary; his daughter, Joyce (Sal) Barese; granddaughters Angelina and Eva Barese; niece, Susan (Chuck) Rohde; nephews, David Koester, and John (Sara) Koester; and many great-nephews and great-nieces.

Jack was born in Hampton, Iowa, to Margaret Bell Koester and Raymond Harold Koester.  He had two older siblings, John Anthony (Tony) and Mary.  They lived in Sheffield, Iowa, until he was 2-1/2, when the family moved to Cayuga, a Mayberry-type town in west-central Indiana, where no one locked their doors and kids were free to play and create adventures all day during the long, hot summers.  When Jack was 8, the family moved to Long Beach, Indiana, which resembled the French Riviera in summer and a Swiss village in winter.  The first friend Jack made was Chucky Sprague, who remained his best friend for life.  He loved the lake and spent summers on the beach and in the water.  No one knew or was alarmed about rip tides then.

Jack attended Long Beach grade school, Barker Jr. High School, and graduated from Elston High School in 1967.  He attended Vincennes University for two years, then volunteered to join the Army, beginning basic training on Sept. 4, 1969, in Fort Jackson, South Carolina.  It was during the Vietnam war and Jack soon found himself in the jungles there, part of the 25th Division.  Most of the 25th was sent home in July 1970, but Jack stayed with the 1st Air Calvary 5th Company 1st Regiment as Recon Sergeant.  He had a talent for accurately calling in air strikes on the advancing Viet Cong, protecting his men.  He bonded closely there with Tom Powers, who was the dog handler for the company, and with comrade-in-arms Frank Loomer, and they remained close friends – brothers, as they called each other – for his lifetime.  Jack served in Vietnam and 30 miles inside Cambodia for 13 months, spending his 21st birthday “in country.”  He left with ten decorations and many letters of commendation.  One of the things in his life Jack was most proud of was that he was able to send most of his men safely home.

When Jack came home, he would talk only about the men with whom he served, the bonds he made, and the occasional funny incidents that happened there.  He would almost never mention the anguish of being in a guerilla war and what little he did share made us wonder how these young men survived at all, with both the jungle and its creatures and the Viet Cong as enemies.  Jack always chose to focus on the positive.

He immediately applied to and was accepted by Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, where his sister and her husband, Rob Kemp, were attending.  He chose to go into audio-visual communications.  He shared various rentals with old friends and new friends.  Jack received his B.A. degree in January 1975 and his Master’s degree in August 1977.  He was a Life Member of the Indiana University Alumni Association.  Jack met his future wife, Robin Smith, when he was in graduate school there.

Jack’s audio-visual career began at Ball Communications in Indianapolis, Indiana, where he and his wife lived.  He became friends with Michael Anderson, with whom he went into business at Michaeljay Audio-Visual Service, Inc.  He traveled extensively with the company, but his heart longed for Florida, where his parents then lived.  He eventually opened a new office in Florida for Michaeljay, and he and his wife relocated to Florida.  He had loved sailing on his sister and her husband’s Hobie catamaran on Lake Michigan and soon purchased a Hobie to sail in Tampa Bay.  He met a former Navy Seal, Ray Green, and they were soon lifelong friends, going for night swims in the Bay and listening to great music with Ray and Ray’s future wife, Cathy Rezak.  He and Robin traveled Europe with new friends, Bill and Gretchen Jacobson and David McKellips.  These new friends remained lifelong friends with Jack.

Jack was always a romantic and an adventurer.  He began to yearn to experience life in the Northwest and decided he was going to work at Boeing.  In 1988, he sold his house, loaded his car, and made the journey to Washington.  He was hired by Boeing and worked there for almost two years, but was disenchanted with the state and the job.  He decided to come home to the lake he loved and to his sister, who lived in Michiana Shores, Indiana.  He worked with a South Bend, Indiana, communications company and then with T-Mobile, thanks to a recommendation from his dear friend, John L. Smith, retiring from there in 2014.

In 1994, Jack learned that he had a daughter, Joyce, about whom he had been unaware.  He and Joyce developed a very close, loving relationship. Joyce was his miracle.  When Joyce married and started a family, she and her family became the light of his life.  He was making plans to visit them in Florida this fall.

Those of us who knew Jack typically remember all the fun and laughter we shared whenever we were with him.  He was a brilliant man of faith, honor, strong values, high expectations for himself and others, and great humor.  He was a tease and a flirt and he loved intensely, whether it was the lake or the bay, sailing or traveling, family or friend.  Since his passing, I have received many calls and emails from his and my dear friends, and words of genuine sorrow from his neighbors, Vern & Michael (who called him “Trooper”); his housekeeper, Lisa; store and gas station clerks; and restaurant personnel.  

Jack was one of those rare individuals who has left not only joyful memories but also a void in the hearts of those of us who dearly loved and will deeply miss him.  Laughing with Jack is the thing I will miss most.

Jack was dedicated to helping those who serve our country in any capacity.  He would invite anyone who wants to contribute in his honor to make their donations to Tunnel to Towers, which aids Gold Star families, Veterans and their families, as well as First Responders and their families.  Jack donated to their charity every month for many years.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Geisen-Carlisle Funeral Home, 613 Washington Street, Michigan City, Indiana 46360.

To sign the guestbook or leave online condolences, please visit: www.carlislefuneralhome,  219-874-4214.