Jack Snipes

Jack Edsel Snipes passed away June 22, 2017. He was born on February 10, 1926 to Joe and Mamie (Shuping) Snipes, in Morganton, North Carolina. His birth was followed by a brother, Vernon, and their baby sister, Jan.

At the age of eighteen, Jack joined the Army Air Corp.

When Jack made his last visit home prior to deployment, his father handed him a coin and said, “This silver dollar was minted in 1926 – the year you were born. I’ve had it a long time. Now I’m going to lend it to you. Make darn sure you bring it back.”

Jack was assigned as a tail gunner to a B-29 Super-Fortress, then the largest airplane in the world. During April 1945, Jack began to fly missions over Japan.

Jack’s final mission was on VJ Day. The assignment was to fly patrol over Japan while the peace treaty was being signed on the battle ship “Missouri.”

Jack was awarded the Purple Heart and other medals during his service.

Following the war Jack entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He graduated in 1951 with a B.A. – Political Science.

After graduation, Jack joined his father and brother in the automobile business selling Hudson and Packard automobiles. After that, he joined the Social Security Administration and eventually became Manager of the Panama City office.

Because of his successful performance with the Social Security Administration, Jack was promoted to oversee the Medicare Health Care Financing Administration Programs for the State of Tennessee in Nashville. Following successful performance in Nashville, he was then assigned to Jacksonville, Florida to oversee and manage the Medicare Health Care Financing Administration Programs for Florida.  Following his Federal retirement, Jack joined Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida as Assistant to the President of the Medicare Division.

Counting active duty and reserve time in the military and work in Social Security and Medicare, Jack had forty-four years of Federal service.

He is survived by his wife JoAnn, and sons Eddie (Lugene), Dyke (Karen), and Mark, grandchildren Ashley, Cameron (Jamie), Clegg (Racheal), Whitney (Jeff), Taylor and great grandchildren Mary, Gavin, Lillian, Anna, Macie, Mackenzie, Miller, and brother Vernon (Peggy) and sister Jan (Sheldon).

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, June 28th in the Chapel of Quinn-Shalz Funeral Home, 3600 Third Street South, Jacksonville Beach, FL. The family will receive friends from 10 to 11:00 a.m. prior to the service. Interment will follow in the Jacksonville National Cemetery at 2:30 p.m.

The family ask that in lieu of flowers, consideration be given to the McGraw Center Community Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeast Florida.