Jack Mahaffey passed away peacefully on Friday, April 26, 2024 after many years of illness. He is survived by three children—Vicki Mahaffey, Jack Mahaffey II (Candy), and Mindy Mahaffey; three grandchildren—Amanda Dennis (Emmanuel Dayan), Laura MacMullen (Jeff), and Lisa Shelton (Chris); and six great-grandchildren—Matthew, Justin, and Brielle Shelton, Conor and Finley MacMullen, and Thalia Dayan. His wife of 55 years, Nancy, and his youngest son, Timothy, preceded him in death.

When she was a toddler, Jack's granddaughter Amanda gave him his nickname: Giant. He was indeed a giant, even a Titan. The oldest son of two factory workers, he was the first person in his family to attend college, where he earned a master's degree in Petroleum Engineering (Ohio State). He served as a lieutenant in the Air Force, based in Luxembourg and France, before beginning his career as a petroleum engineer. He started work for Shell Oil Company in 1957, and rose to the top tier of the company when he created Shell Mining out of Shell's Mining Ventures, and became its President.

Although the companies that comprised Shell Mining were primarily coal mines, one or two mined ore. That's the kind of mining that best illustrates the kind of man Jack was: a rock (obdurate and stubborn), with a vein of gold running through that rock. He was hard-working and successful, with a streak of genius, but he was also hard to move. In his early years, he was initially reserved in manner, although he became increasingly charismatic. Over the course of his 92 years (he was born July 29, 1931) he could be said to have lived many lives: working on an Air Force Base in France,  spending weeks on oil rigs in Texas, running a successful mining company that prioritized reclaiming the land it mined, serving on the Board of a Real Estate Investment Trust. Although he was born and raised in Ohio, he became a real Texan, identifying with the fiercely independent lawmen in the Westerns he so loved. He cast a giant shadow, and he will be deeply missed.

Visitation will take place at Klein Funeral Home in Houston, Texas on May 10, from 4-6 p.m. The Funeral will be on May 11 at 2:00 p.m. For those who would like to make a donation, the family suggests the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the Alzheimer's Association, or the ALS Association.