Jack Wendall Albert

Jack Wendell Albert was born on September 5, 1926, in his parents’ home in Booker, Texas. He was the eldest son of Mike and Idell Albert, along with two younger brothers, Leon and Dick.  Jack was baptized into the United Methodist Church of Booker as a young boy.  Growing up, he worked at his parents’ grocery store.   He sorted potatoes and picked grocery orders for their regular customers.

Upon graduating from Booker High School in 1943, Jack joined the United States Army.  While serving in the Army, Jack spent time stationed in Japan.  After his time in the service, Jack lived in Wichita, KS and worked in a family grocery store in Gordon, NE before coming back to Beaver County in the mid 60’s to help with the family farm and ranch near Knowles.

 In addition to being a lifelong rancher, Jack was also a financial advisor for Waddell & Reed for over 45 years.  Jack had been a member of the Oklahoma Masonic Lodge #269 for over 65 years, serving as the oldest member in Beaver Co.  In his earlier years, Jack had his pilot’s license and had a passion for flying small planes.  He liked to golf, especially the sand trap courses of Nebraska.  

Jack married the love of his life, Vona Sue Kile Hoover, on August 1, 1980.  That same day, Jack gained a daughter, in four year old Tana.  Two years later, their son, Michael was born.  Jack and Vona Sue lived on the family ranch for several years before moving into Forgan and later into Beaver where they had resided for the last 26 years.

Jack never met a stranger.  He talked to anyone and everyone he came across.  Usually he would ask if you were set up with mutual funds, and if not, would you like for him to set you up with one. He carried business cards with him at all times and would even pass those out to people thousands of miles away while on vacation.  Jack knew everyone in town. He had his regular coffee drinking buddies he saw each morning.  He had his weekly routines of stopping by the banks, the lumber yard, and anywhere else that might be serving free popcorn and snacks on that particular day.

Throughout the last 15 years you would find Jack and Vona Sue in Stillwater for each home game during the fall rooting on the OSU Cowboys.  While he was a Sooner fan at heart, he grew very fond of the Cowboys with the help of his wife and children.

While Jack enjoyed nothing more than his time on the ranch and being at home, he did enjoy seeing other parts of the country as well.  Several years ago, he and Vona Sue took a tour bus with 40 others to California to see the New Year’s Rose Bowl Parade and ballgame.  They, along with the bulldog, Estelle, would make trips to Colorado several times a year to visit Mike.  Their last road trip to Colorado this summer included a detour through Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the Teton mountains.   

Jack’s latest and greatest joy in life was his grandson, Canon.  He bragged to everyone he saw at the hospital that he had waited 87 years for a grandchild.  Canon was such a source of love and happiness to Jack.  You could often find the two of them putting puzzles together or building castles out of blocks.

After a short two month battle with cancer, Jack departed us from this Earth very peacefully on November 20^th, 2016.  He was surrounded by his family at their second residence in Edmond.   He is survived by his wife Vona Sue of the home, a son, Mike Albert of Aspen, Colorado; a daughter, Tana Hoover (and Monica) of McKinney, Texas; one grandson, Canon Hoover of McKinney, Texas, a brother, Leon Albert (and Valene) of Norman, one nephew, Rodney Albert of Forgan, and a special cousin, Phyllis Kamas, of Wichita, KS.

The Family requests memorials to the Gate Fire Department or the Beaver Fire Department.