John “Jack” Fallan Herbert, 83, formerly of Michigan City, Indiana, passed away Sunday, May 26th, 2024, in the hospital in Kissimmee, Florida after a short illness.
Surviving family members include his partner for the last 20 years, Arlene Goldberg (Lake Wales, FL), three children, Dawn Paquin (Elwood, IN), Troy Graham (Vandalia, OH), Heather George (Kansas City, MO); seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren; his sister Mary Knaup (Michigan City); and several nieces and nephews.
Jack was born May 3rd, 1941, in Michigan City, Indiana, to the late Victor and Kathryn (Drout) Herbert. A member of the Elston High School graduating class of 1960, Jack followed in his dad’s footsteps by attending Purdue University and joining Sigma Nu fraternity. However, his true passion was flying airplanes. Once he had his first flying lesson at age 17, he eventually became a pilot for TWA where he flew DC-9, Convair 880, 747, Lockheed 1011, and Boeing 767 planes around the world for over 30 years.
Known for keeping things interesting and surprising, Jack kept his family entertained with a wide and varied set of jobs and interests including selling encyclopedias door to door in New Orleans; owning a laundry mat and motor home company; building floating docks in the Lake of the Ozarks; running a hog farm in Missouri; digging ditches for NIPSCO; working for his grandfather Hugo Herbert at Michigan City Electric fixing toy trains and as a debt collector; and even working for a sign company where he was the first to put up “millions served” at the Michigan City McDonald’s in the 1950s.
When he wasn’t working, you could often find Jack on the golf course trying to perfect his golf swing or running the golf pro shop. In his free time, he loved woodworking and he made many masterpieces for friends and family. Jack was also a member of Saddlebag Lake Community Church, Lake Wales, Florida where he served as chairman of the church council (2014-2021).
Jack will be remembered for his tenacity, being a “character,” and his love for animals.
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, June 26th at 11:00 am Central time at Ott/Haverstock Funeral Chapel, 418 Washington Street, Michigan City, Indiana, with Reverend Dr. Ericka Kilbourne officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to your local Humane Society.
To sign a guestbook and leave condolences online, please visit www.otthaverstock.com
