Jack Cleve

Jack A. Van Cleve of Uvalde, 93, passed peacefully on Wednesday, December 10, 2015. He was born Warren Yale Van Cleve in the ranch house at Cometa, TX on November 15, 1922 to Caswell C. and Ida Vivian Van Cleve.
Jack was the youngest of eight children growing up on Picosa Ranch at Cometa. He was quite a storyteller; humor and embellishment often found its way into his stories. He reported that he "graduated from Crystal City High School after five years in a four year course." Upon graduation in 1940, he attended Tarleton State University for one year and then entered the Army. He proudly served our country in various locations throughout Europe during wartime and thusly has earned military honors. It was in the fall of ‘46 upon his return to Tarleton that he learned to fly, paying a mere $10 per hour, he completed his solo flight after only 8 hours of instruction. Jack told many piloting stories, remarking that "the good Lord has been my copilot so many times" as well as "it's okay to take a drink when you land,… it's perfectly legal then."
While Jack enjoyed courting the ladies, it was in 1960 that Bettye Jeanne Taylor Bookout succeeded in capturing his heart. They were married on May 5, 1961 and enjoyed 40 years together, parted only by her death in 2001. Jack not only fell in love with Bettye but also her three children - Shari, Irl and Rebecca. The family lived at the Picosa ranch house and in Crystal City. In 1963, Lisa, the fourth and final child, joined the family. Jack and Bettye raised the children with a stern hand and the threat of being spanked with a belt - lovingly, of course!
Ranching wasn't only Jack's occupation, it was his passion. It was 1968 when he ventured out on his own and a few years thereafter the couple relocated to Uvalde to settle into their home on Batesville Road. Jack ran a cow-calf operation on the Matthews Ranch for nearly 40 years, as well as later adding to it the Farias Ranch in 1991. At the height of his ranching career, his operation consisted of more than two thousand head of cattle. Jack was seldom seen around town without his signature look -- cowboy hat and his pants tucked into his boots. He was a colorful man who didn't mince words and who had a real love for Texas ranch life.
Outside of ranching, Jack loved to travel. He and Bettye traveled to such exotic places as Belize, Italy, Scotland, Hawaii, Argentina, and the Caribbean. Jack was a certified scuba diver, a lifetime member of the NRA, a registered Republican and for more than 60 years, a Master Mason.
He will be buried at Cometa Cemetery alongside his father, mother and several siblings. Jack is preceded in death by his loving wife Bettye Van Cleve and two precious grandsons, Stewart Phillips and Brandon Van Cleve. Jack is survived by his daughter Shari and husband Clayton Lee of Belmont, his son Irl and wife Paula Van Cleve of Catarina, his daughter Rebecca and husband Carey Paull of Rio Frio, and his daughter Lisa and husband David Bullion of Fredericksburg - as well as his grandchildren, Travis and wife Amy Lee of Kenedy, Jason and wife Jenn Lee of Cypress, Chase and wife Trish Phillips of Fairfield, Kevin and wife Angela Van Cleve of Springtown, Justin and wife Samantha Carnes of Kerrville, Shelby Bullion of College Station, and Trent Bullion of Fredericksburg and his great grandchildren, Chandler Phillips, Everett and Ella Lee, Savannah and Hunner Van Cleve, Matthew and Jasper Carnes, and Troy Lee.
The family will be forever grateful for the love and support we have received from everyone, as we mourn the loss of our father, grandfather and great-grandfather, Jack Van Cleve. Though our hearts are heavy with grief, we are truly blessed by the acts of kindness and comfort from family, friends, and everyone else who shared in Jack's life. Special thanks goes out to three dedicated and compassionate caregivers, Elodia Rodrigues, Sally Gonzales and Linda Canales. Should you desire to make a donation in honor of Jack, please consider the Wounded Warrior Project, 4899 Belfort Road, Suite 300, Jacksonville, FL 32256, CFC #11425

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