On the afternoon of August 19, JACK EDWARD JUEL

passed away suddenly and peacefully at home in Little Rock with his beloved wife, Joan McDermott Juel, at his side. Born to Edward Juel and Thora Rasmussen Juel on August 28, 1942, in Omaha, Neb., Jack spent part of his youth on the family farm in Farwell, Neb., and was raised in nearby Grand Island. His father, Eddie, was a farmer, as well as an auto mechanic, while his mother, Thora, was a life-long schoolteacher there.

Jack excelled in both school and sports growing up and was the student body president his senior year at Grand Island High School. It was in high school that he first met Joan and they began what would be a wonderful 63 years in life together, ultimately marrying on August 31, 1963.

Although an only child, Jack quickly became an 11th brother to Joan’s 13 siblings. They, along with her mother and father — the latter, famously difficult to impress— loved him dearly. Jack had a wonderful sense of humor and an ability to share it with others that helped make him someone all those McDermott kids respected, admired, and loved.

Jack received a basketball scholarship to play at Hastings College, where he received a degree in mathematics. After graduating, Jack and Joan moved to California on a recommendation from one of his trusted professors, as there were many jobs in the then new field of computer programming. Jack had several good jobs in the blossoming computer industry and worked in the field for several years. During this time, Jack and Joan had two sons, Edward John Juel, and Jeffrey Thomas Juel.

With a strong desire to serve his country, Jack joined the FBI in 1971, where he worked until his retirement in 1997. During his tenure with the FBI, he was an outstanding field agent working in Texas, Arkansas, New York, and Louisiana. His attention to detail and work ethic served him and his country well, as he maintained a 100% conviction rate for the cases that he worked that went to trial.

In addition to his athletic talents, Jack had a wonderful singing voice, and he sang country songs all the time as he worked on the always necessary home and yard projects he had in the many homes he and his family lived in around the country that was the life of an FBI agent’s family in those years. A silver lining to the many moves was the experience of enjoying the culture in each location. He and Joan especially loved local music and dancing. Over the years, they learned and enjoyed many dancing styles ranging from classical to country to Cajun. In part because of Jack’s basketball height, he was an excellent dancer.

Jack could not have been a more lovely man, a better husband to Joan, and father to their boys. When asked recently how he would most like to be remembered, Jack said he would like to be remembered as an honest man, a good father, and a good provider. He was all of that and more.

And as Joan’s brother-in-law shared in his condolences: “If in our lives we are lucky we occasionally meet an exceptional person. Sometimes, if we’re even luckier, that person becomes our friend. Jack was one of those exceptional persons. All the words used in the Bible to describe God, and that which God expects of us - to be faithful, forgiving, merciful, steadfast in love are visions we only strive to attain, but that Jack possessed. Jack was always the real deal.”

Jack is survived by his wife, Joan, sons, Ed and Jeff, and 20+ in-laws and their children and grandchildren. A celebration of Jack’s life will be held in November, celebrating and remembering the wonderful gentleman, husband, father, and person that Jack Juel was known to be.