John Hart Geary (Jack) was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on December 1, 1930, to Robert Arnot Geary Sr. and Luta Jones Geary. His mother died when he was 6 years old. His father, whom he was very close to, raised him with the support of family, friends and the nuns and brothers at St. Francis Xavier Academy and St. Aloysius High School, the Catholic schools in Vicksburg.
If you could describe Jack, you would say that he was a people person. He knew people everywhere, and everyone loved him because he was always interested in them, their life, and their family. He truly cared about people and made them feel special. If you were with him in Jackson, Nashville, Atlanta, Oxford, or just about anywhere, inevitably you would hear someone shout “Jack!” or “Mr. Geary!”
He met his wife Shirley Hester in 1954 and built a wonderful life and loving family with her. Family was the most important thing to him, and he was very close to their four children and twelve grandchildren. He had a strong influence on all of them. If you ask any of the grandchildren who they admire the most in their life, they would say “Grandy.” One of the boys even wrote a book about him as a school project.
He enrolled in the University of Mississippi in September 1948. For Jack, Ole Miss was a home away from home and he loved every day he spent there. He enjoyed the academic side and was involved in many of the student organizations. He joined Kappa Alpha Fraternity and was elected president and was later elected Student Body President his junior year. All of these activities gave him the opportunity to make a world of friends, many of which he kept his entire life.
Jack was one of the early presidents of the University of Mississippi Foundation and President of the Alumni Association. He was also co-chairman of the first major gifts campaign in 1984 and was inducted into the Ole Miss Alumni Hall of Fame in 2010. After graduating from Ole Miss in May 1952, he served for two years in the United States Air Force and was discharged in 1954 as a First Lieutenant. He then moved to Jackson and went to work as an assistant to the President and Chairman of Mississippi Power and Light Company. This proved to be a deeply valuable learning experience which impacted the rest of his life.
Jack began his career in the investment business in February 1959 in the Jackson office of Equitable Securities, a Nashville, TN investment firm where he became a senior Vice President and Director. After some good years with that firm, Jack opened Paine Webber’s first branch office in the south. He went on to open his own firm Geary and Patterson, Inc. Morgan Keegan bought Geary and Patterson in 1980 and Jack stayed with Morgan Keegan until his retirement in June 2006.
Jack was very active in the Catholic Church throughout his life. He lived out his faith in everything that he did. Growing up In Vicksburg, he was a regular altar boy at weekday and Sunday Masses. He was an active member of St. Richard’s Catholic Church in Jackson for 65 years, serving as finance chairman when the current church was built and co-chairman of the first major gifts campaign. He was also the founding president of the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Jackson, served as chairman of the Investment Committee and was a member of the executive committee for over 35 years. Not only in his service of the church, but in all aspects of his life, he put God first. He always walked the walk, he never just talked the talk.
One thing he was most known for was his letter writing. He touched many people with his heartfelt, personal letters, many of which were kept and cherished by those close to him. He knew many of his children’s and grandchildren’s friends and was a mentor to several of them. He loved to help young people get interviews or jobs and made a point to keep in touch with them.
One of the most meaningful things in his life came from joining about twelve men from several Christian churches in Jackson 40 years ago to start an ecumenical men’s prayer group. For decades, they met faithfully each week. Though members have come and gone, several of the original members are still active. All the men benefited greatly from the diversity and spirituality of the group.
In recent years, in addition to being an active member of St. Richards, he was a frequent visitor at Northminster Baptist Church
along with his wife Shirley, who is an active member. He benefited tremendously from the spirituality and friendship of Rev. Chuck Poole and the members of Northminster.
In the 1950’s and 60’s, Jack was part of a group of people who pioneered the modern Republican Party in Mississippi. He served as Chairman of the Membership Committee and as a member of the State Executive Committee.
In addition to his interest in his church, Ole Miss, and politics,
Jack was involved in his city as either an officer or director of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, The United Way, Jackson Preparatory School, Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi Mental Health Association and others.
He is survived by Shirley his wife of 67 years, his children John Hart Geary, Jr. (Whit), Gene Geary Barnes (Allen), Bill Geary (Kathleen) and Cynthia Geary. His grandchildren, Will Geary (Jody), Ryan Geary (Morgan), Camp Geary, Brian Barnes (Allison), Rob Barnes, Jack Barnes, John Hart Geary III, Helen Geary, Mead Geary, Patrick Geary, Olivia Coron and Lyla Coron. He remained very close to a number of nieces and nephews and extended family.
A memorial service will be held Saturday October 21st at noon at St. Richards Catholic Church with visitation at 11:00 prior to the service. His twelve grandchildren will serve as pallbearers. The family requests memorials be made to St. Richards Church 1242 Lynwood Dr. Jackson, MS 39206 or to the University of MS Foundation 406 University Ave University, MS 38655.
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