Jack Almeida, 78, passed away at his home in Sapulpa on Sept. 19. Jack was a decorated military veteran who served in Vietnam and who made his home in Creek County for more than 40 years.  Jack was born June 6, 1942, in Danbury, Conn., to his father, Antonio Almeida, and his mother, Maria (De Jesus) Almeida, and grew up there until leaving for his military service.

In 1964, he met Joan Barbarotto, to whom he was married for 55 years after a 1965 wedding in Hawaii. As a member of the United States Army in Vietnam, he served by driving trucks full of soldiers and supplies before returning to Danbury to begin working and raising a family. Jack always had a strong work ethic, from his teen years at Frank H. Lee Hat Company to his later occupations as a truck driver and a framing carpenter building houses. In 1977, he moved his family from Connecticut to Oklahoma to be closer to his wife's relatives. Living in Sapulpa for more than four decades, Jack retired from Oklahoma Fixture Company where he was a millman building store fixtures for companies ranging from Dillard's to Bass Pro Shops and many banks.  Jack was a natural athlete, no matter the sport, who had a lifelong love of golf that he passed on to his children. He had exceptional skills with a pool stick, with a pencil doing sketches and occasionally at the area casinos.

Jack was a private person, a man who wore many hats, and he was a perfectionist. His oft-repeated motto was: "Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better, and your better is best."

Jack was preceded in death by his parents and three of his siblings: Linda Almeida, Sebastian Almeida and Marie Pinho.

He is survived by his wife, Joan, of the home; his four children: Antonio Almeida (Courtney), of Kansas City, Mo.; Colleen Almeida Smith (Michael), of Tulsa; Matthew Almeida (Annetta), of Broken Arrow; and Jason Almeida (Megan), of Denham Springs, La.; his sister, Isabel Scalzo (George); six grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.

Services are 2:00 p.m. Saturday, September 26, 2020, at Traditions Funeral Chapel in Kellyville. He will be interred at Fort Gibson National Cemetery. Donations may be made in Jack's memory to the Veteran's Outreach program at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma.

Arrangements are under the direction of Traditions Funeral and Cremation Services, 35 S. Main, Kellyville, Oklahoma, 918-247-7373.