John Robinson "Jack" Shull

John Robinson "Jack" Shull, born July 15, 1931 in Kansas City, Missouri to John and Lois (Robinson) Shull passed away July 3, 2026 in Tyler, Texas. Jack excelled in athletics his whole life playing baseball, basketball and tennis. He became an Eagle Scout in 1946 and competed on multiple championship teams at Topeka High School in Topeka, Kansas. He attended the University of Nebraska in Lincoln on both athletic and academic scholarships, graduating in 1953 with a bachelor's degree and a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. In that same year he married his high school sweetheart, June Hartzell, a remarkable 73 year partnership built on devotion, humor, and shared adventure. Jack completed the Physical Therapy program at the University of Kansas in 1954 before reporting for active duty at Ft. Richardson in Alaska. June joined him there, and the two spent 21 months together during his service—an early chapter in a lifetime of standing side by side. After returning to Topeka, Jack worked in the Physical Therapy department at Stormont Vail Hospital while earning his degree from Washburn University, graduating Cum Laude in 1957. He was then accepted into the University of Kansas Medical School, earning his MD in 1962. In 1962, Jack and June adopted their infant son, Christopher, followed a year later by their daughter, Angela. In 1966, after completing his internship and residency, the family moved to Texas, where Jack joined the staff at Methodist Hospital in Dallas. After twenty years of practice in Dallas, Jack and June relocated to Tyler in 1987, where Jack opened his own Physiatry practice and established an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Jack retired in 1994, devoting more time to the passions that had colored his whole life. He was well read on an astonishing range of topics, and had a gift for looking at a rock and knowing its story—how it formed and where it came from. The night sky was another classroom for him, and anyone nearby was invited into the lesson. He was a natural storyteller, able to turn science, history, and curiosity into wonder. Jack remained active well into his 90s, enjoying bowling, tennis, and weekly golf - earning three hole-in-one trophies. He and June traveled widely, including many tips to witness solar eclipses around the world. Jack was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Phyllis (Shull) Bell, and his son, Christopher Evan Shull. He is survived by his wife June; his daughter Angela "Angie" Jones; two granddaughters and one great-grandson along with nieces and nephews who will carry on his stories and his curiosity.

John Robinson "Jack" Shull

July 15, 1931 - July 3, 2026