Jack James La Spina Obituary

Jack James La Spina, Jr., age 87, passed away on October 11, 2024, after a short but valiant battle with cancer. Jack lived a great life that read like a novel. The final chapter of his story has now ended, but that book has been quite a page-turner.
Jack was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His parents were Jack La Spina and Louise Feo La Spina, who predeceased him. He graduated in 1958 from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania with a business management degree. He played college basketball on a scholarship at the University of Scranton, which began his lifelong interest in basketball. He served in the United States Army and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He also received a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1974.
In 1960, he married the love of his life, Betty Louise Neuman. Betty was a Texas girl from Hondo. They met at the Red Rooster Drive-In restaurant in El Paso, Texas through mutual friends, while Betty was on a layover as a flight attendant for Continental Airlines. Jack knew from the moment that he met Betty that she was "special," "different," and "the one." After a few short months of Jack chasing Betty through the skies, they married. Jack was charismatic, a sharp dresser, and had a New York accent, all of which both stunned and charmed Betty's Texas family. Jack and Betty were married 64 happy years before he passed.
Jack was a proud veteran who served his country in overseas assignments in Germany, Greece, Vietnam (twice), and at various Army installations throughout the United States. During his military career, he served most of his time in missile command. During Jack's military service, Jack and Betty lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and at Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas, where he and Betty raised their two children. In honor of his service, Jack received the Bronze Star Medal, among several other decorations, and retired honorably as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1980 after 22 years of service. Jack was extremely proud to have served his country in the military. Upon retiring from the Army, Jack worked in various sales positions in the electronic, solar power, steel, and packaging industries, until fully retiring in 2003. After he retired, Jack and Betty moved to Sun City, Texas, where they had many friends and enjoyed retirement. Jack never sat still, even in retirement, often complaining to his son that he was so busy in retirement that he didn't know how he'd ever had time to work. He was also a dedicated list-maker, checking off tasks from his many lists with military precision. Jack also loved the proximity between Georgetown and Costco, often extolling the many virtues of Costco to his son and daughter.
Jack loved his family dearly and deeply. He was a devoted husband and father to his family, and worried about taking care of them until his last breath. Jack was also a loyal and supportive friend. He was known and loved for his larger-than-life personality, sense of humor, funny and frequent storytelling, and his overall zest for life. Jack always made people feel welcome. He enjoyed coaching little league sports, playing tennis and golf, vacationing with his wife, and was always seeking to solve problems and to help his friends and others in need. Jack was hilarious, humble, and had a heart of pure gold. He was one of the great ones. His Italian heritage manifested through passionate conversations accented with much gesturing, humor, and a depth of emotion. He was truly cherished by his family and friends.
Jack is survived by his wife Betty La Spina, daughter Lisa Steiger (husband Paul), son Mark La Spina, brother Sal La Spina, and grandsons Ethan Fholer and Landon La Spina. Jack is also survived by legions of friends and caretakers. The family would like to thank the administrators, nurses, and care providers at Grand Living, in Georgetown, Texas, for being so caring during the last month of his life.
The graveside service is scheduled for Friday, November 1, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, 11463 TX-195, Killeen, Texas 76542.
Following the service, there will be a Celebration of Life honoring Jack from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Grand Living, Georgetown, Texas, 1330 W. University Ave., Georgetown, Texas, 78628.
A memorial Mass will be held at a future date.
Ramsey Funeral Home of Georgetown, 5600 Williams Drive, Georgetown, Texas, is handling all arrangements.
Please text Mark La Spina at 512-577-4930 or Lisa Steiger at 512-304-8154 with any questions about the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society in memory of Jack James La Spina, Jr. at https://donate.cancer.org/ or to the Wounded Warrior Project at: https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/.
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