He was the youngest of the six Geist children: June, Sybil, Joe, Kathryn and James. When the family moved to Lincoln, NE, Jack’s father Alex worked for the Lincoln Telephone Company. Jack started school at Hartley Elementary, continued at Whittier Jr. High and graduated from Lincoln High School. He attended the University of Nebraska in Business Administration, where he was involved in the Air Force ROTC and commissioned 2nd Lt. in 1955. During college, Jack was employed by Lincoln Telephone Company.
Jack met Connie Cover from Minden, NE in 1952 and they were married in 1954.
Following graduation from UNL, he was commissioned as Air Traffic Control Officer at Tinker AFB in OK. From there he was assigned to Brize Norton RAF in England. The couple was fortunate to travel concurrently and were able to enjoy the countryside for three years. While in England, Jeffrey was born in 1958 and Mark in 1960. They returned to the U.S. in September 1960 and were based at Chanute AFB in Illinois until 1961. They returned to live in Lincoln, NE and their 3rd son John was born in November 1961. The family was blessed with the addition of 3 daughters, Carla, Christine and Cathrine, who joined them in 1968.
Jack continued to serve in the Air Force Reserve until 1965, achieving the rank of Captain in the Reserves. He returned to working at the Lincoln Telephone & Telegraph Company in the Accounting Department. After 44 years with LT&T, he retired as Vice President of Diversified Operations. He also served as President of the Frank H. Woods Chapter of the Independent Telephone Pioneer Association and on the National Board of ITPA. After retirement he continued playing golf at Firethorn Golf Club, enjoying his first “hole-in-one” on April 9, 1996. He belonged to the Downtown Kiwanis and was a member of First United Methodist Church.
Jack and Connie had been married for 70 years. Jack is survived by his wife, Connie; children Jeffrey (Stacy), Mark (Suzanne), John (Lori), Carla (Scot) Cockson , Christine Thorp, and Cathrine (John) Blair; grandchildren Ted (Leah) Blair, Jaclyn (Antonio) Tejeda, Lauren Geist, Olivia Geist, Alexis (Marcus) Plouzek, John M. (Brittany) Geist, Derek (Rebecca) Geist, Kirstie (Bryan) Madsen, Graham (Emily) Geist, Taylor (Marie) Geist, Andrew, Paul, David and Daniel Jack Cockson, Sydney (Alex) Lae, and Justin Dunning; great-grandchildren: Alyssa (Matthew), Corbin, Keylee, Jack, Antonio Jack, Stella, Lili, Lina,Heaven, Nova, Savanna, Gracie, Benson, Rowan, Brix, Harbor, Elsa, Rosie, Jones, Carter, Penelope, Henrietta, Sullivan, Charlotte, Logan, and Nolan; great-great-grandchildren Blakeston, Brooks, and Sevay; sister Kathryn McCartney; brother-in-law Royal (Susan) Cover; many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents Alex and Elsie Geist; parents-in-law Theodore and Lillian Cover; brothers James (Eleanor) Geist, Joe (Barbara) Geist; sisters June (Virgil) Henderson, Sybil (Robert) Arnold; brothers-in-law Jack McCartney, Marvin (Shirley) Cover, Bob (Rachel) Cover; daughter-in-law Karla Geist; nephews Steve Henderson, Kevin McCartney; nieces Karen Wolf and Georgia Williams.
Memorial service: 11:00 am on August 10, 2024, Roper and Sons South Lincoln Chapel, 3950 Hohensee Drive.
Memorials to the Legacy Terrace Employee Appreciation Fund, 5700 Fremont Street, Lincoln, NE 68507