John “Jack” Lawrence Turcotte
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John “Jack” Lawrence Turcotte, age 71, of Topeka, Kansas, went to be home with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on July 30th, 2022 after a long battle with heart failure.
Jack was born in Burlington, Vermont on March 17th, 1951 to John Caldwell Turcotte and Virginia (Chase) Turcotte. His family moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee when he was two years old, and he graduated from East Ridge High School in 1969 in the top 1% of his class. While in high school, he was a 3-year letterman on the varsity baseball team and served as the president of the National Honors Society.
Jack was originally going to attend Vanderbilt University in Nashville, but after applying for a Navy ROTC scholarship, he was accepted and assigned to the University of Kansas. Even though he had never been to Kansas before, he began attending KU in the fall of 1969 and joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Due to his love of learning paired with his uncertainty of what degree to obtain, Jack changed his major multiple times; he didn’t receive his Bachelor’s degree until 1988 and completed his Master’s in business in 1990. From approximately 1980-1990, Jack supported his family while he continued his education by delivering newspapers for the Lawrence Journal World and the Kansas City Star.
Jack met his wife, Patricia (McCoy) Turcotte (of Coldwater and Dodge City, KS) in Lawrence while they were both attending KU. They were married on August 9th, 1975. Shortly after their marriage, they started attending Lawrence First Church of the Nazarene where they both volunteered in many areas.
Immediately after graduating from KU with his MBA, Jack accepted a position with NCR as a field analyst, and his family moved to Dayton, Ohio where they resided for the next 25 years. There, he and his family attended Parkview Church of the Nazarene where he served as the treasurer for over a decade. He also worked for LADD and Sabin-Robbins in the greater Dayton area as a purchasing and inventory manager until he semi-retired. In 2016, Jack and his wife moved back to Kansas to be close to their daughter and grandchildren. When he returned to Kansas, Jack was a driver for H&L Transportation until the beginning of 2022.
Jack had a deep love of sports (especially Red Sox baseball and KU basketball). He played on his church’s softball team for over three decades, was an avid golfer, and acquired an endless knowledge of sports trivia.
Jack’s even-keeled personality and dry sense of humor drew people to him. His work ethic, dedication to his church, and his Christ-like example influenced and was an example to many. He was deeply loved and will be dearly missed.
He is preceded in death by his parents, John Caldwell Turcotte and Virginia (Chase) Turcotte; his father-in-law, Ronald McCoy, and his mother-in-law, Sibyl (Adams) McCoy.
He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Patricia (McCoy) Turcotte of Topeka; daughter, Courtney (Turcotte) Bond, and her husband, Randall of Topeka; two grandchildren, Katelyn and Jackson Bond of Topeka; three step-granddaughters, Lauren, Lindsay, and Claire Bond; and his sister, Mary Clarke, and her husband, Jeff of Hixson, Tennessee.
The family will receive friends and family at Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence, Kansas from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Friday, August 5th.
The funeral will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, August 6th at the First Church of the Nazarene in Lawrence, Kansas with the burial to follow at Maple Grove Cemetery in Lecompton, Kansas.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations are made through the Warren-McElwain Mortuary to support one of the following churches: Lawrence First Church of the Nazarene (Lawrence, KS), Parkview Church of the Nazarene (Dayton, OH), or Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene (Topeka, KS).
We are sending sincere sympathy to Trisha, Courtney, and all of Jack’s family. The love he had for his family and their love for him was evident. God has welcomed him home! May God continue to comfort family and friends. RIP our friend Jack!
I remember his smile and his overwhelming love for his family. He was a Godly man and has left behind priceless memories and an enduring legacy.
He truly fought the good fight and finished the course. He has received his reward and heard “Well done my good and faithful servant.”
JT was one of a kind who knew sports trivia and names of players who played. Many memories were made at fishing trips to Canada and playing various board games that he usually won. He was my boss at LADD and helped me with many tools necessary to effectively do my contract position. I will miss him a lot but I know he is with our lord and savior now.
Although I had not seen Jack since high school, I remember him as a very kind person, a “stand up guy,” as they say. It is strange that over the last few days he has come to mind; I had no idea he was ill.
He has passed on to his Heavenly home; and, although I know that he will be sorely missed, I pray that the Lord will comfort, strengthen, and bless you with good memories in this time of great loss. Jack has finished the race and is with our Lord.
Again, my condolences.
Words cannot express how saddened I was to hear about the loss of Jack and the struggle of his health the past few years. There are so many wonderful things to remember about Jack for our family. He gave Lesley her first car in exchange for some yardwork. He was always calling Us to come up and get gas on his Kroger points. All the fun times we had when we gathered together at each other‘s homes. A great friend and coworker to Kevin. I am looking forward to the day when we will all be together again.
So very Sorry to hear about Jack. I went to Jr. and High School with him at East Ridge. Prayers for the family.
Tricia and Family,
I was so sorry to hear about Jack. You and Jack’s friendship and support were so important to my mother and brother, especially when you lived on Emerald Dr. You are all in my prayers and I know your faith will see you through.
Jack and I were good friends in high school at East Ridge. I do remember his kindness and low key attitude. We were in FCA together also. I send my condolences to all his family.