Jack E. Rayburn, Sr.

Jack Rayburn passed away on February 25, 2023 at the age of 95 surrounded by family and friends. He was born to Irene and Muir Rayburn on the family farm outside of Clay, Kentucky. Shortly thereafter, they moved to Chicago, IL, where Jack lived until he, his wife, and family moved to Oklahoma City. Jack called Oklahoma City his home ever since. He attended Lakeview High School in Chicago where he participated in football and rowing crew and received an award as the "Male Athlete of The Year" his senior year. Upon finishing the first semester of his Junior year in high school, and 2 months after turning 17, Jack decided to enlist in the US Marine Corps to fight in WWII. Jack was stationed in the South Pacific until the end of the war when he was then stationed in North China. Upon receiving an Honorable Discharge, Jack returned to Chicago to finish high school. In addition to his service in the Marine Corps during WWII, Jack spent time in the Marine Corps Reserves and was called into active duty during the Korean War. Jack was an avid football fan throughout his life. In addition to playing football at Drake University and a short stint at Arkansas State University, Jack learned the Marine Corps Camp LeJeune football team was having tryouts. Using good judgment, Jack decided he would rather play football than go to Korea so he tried out and made the Camp Lejeune football team thereby keeping him in the States. Two days after returning from his initial tour of duty, Jack met Patricia Eberhardt. They dated for several years and married in 1951. They raised 3 sons, Scott, Jack, and Jim. Although their marriage ended after 30 years, they remained close friends until her death in 2012. He still carried a picture of the two of them in this wallet until his recent death.Jack loved to socialize and dance. He was a frequent customer of Junior's on the weekends and the Red Rock Café on Thursday nights. If you have been to either of those venues, odds are you have seen an "old guy" on the dance floor, even when it got to the point that he needed a cane to steady himself. He also was a member of the Greens Country Club and enjoyed spending the weekends at the club pool. Most people just knew him as Jack. During his retirement he also liked to spend time at the Thirty O Five Club, which is what he called his backyard, relaxing with friends and having a cocktail. He was the consummate salesman throughout his career, selling everything from ladies' apparel to liquor to oil and gas deals. During his sons' youth, he actively participated as one of the pioneer coaches for the Portland Hills Satellite Youth Organization. Later in life, he could be frequently seen escorting his ex-wife to his granddaughters' dance and athletic activities. One of his granddaughter's friends wrote on social media "This man was a legend. He was always the happiest and most lively person in the room. He taught a lot of us lessons on how we should be living our own lives."He is survived by his sons, Scott (Janet), Jack Jr (Pat), and Jim (Kim), brother Steve Rayburn of Chicago, Il, his granddaughters, Anna Simmons (Dustin), Lacey Nordstrom (Jon), Brooke McKie (Mike), Taylor Hoover (Collin), Alex Broussard (Andy), and 9 greatgrandchildren with one more on the way.A memorial service followed by a reception will be held at The Greens Country Club, 13100 Green Valley Drive, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73120 on Friday, March 3rd beginning at 3:30 pm.