Roll Call Tribute

Joseph Jerome "Jerry" Lastelick 

October 17, 1932 - September 24, 2024 

Joseph Jerome “Jerry” Lastelick, beloved husband, father, and grandfather and distinguished attorney, passed away on September 24, 2024. He was 91. Jerry’s long and remarkable life was characterized by a strong sense of duty and honesty, service to his community, and devotion to family.

Jerry was born in Dallas, Texas on October 17, 1932, to Joseph Lastelick and Louise Gorman Lastelick. He had one sister, Louise Lorraine Lastelick, and he and Lorraine were always close.

Jerry was a 1949 graduate of Jesuit College Prep, where he lettered for three years in baseball and basketball and was a cheerleader. Jerry chose Texas A&M University for college and was a four-year member of the A&M baseball team, which finished fifth at the 1951 College World Series. He graduated from A&M in 1953 with a degree in Accounting.

Jerry entered the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant assigned to the National Security Agency. Following the Army, he worked as an accountant in Dallas, and with his incredible work ethic, spent the evenings attending law school at Southern Methodist University for nine straight semesters. He received his J.D. degree in 1958 and entered private practice.

Jerry met his wife of 60 years, Bettye Jo Guthrie, at a wedding and they married soon after in 1959 at Christ the King Church in Dallas. Jerry and Bettye Jo had a long and happy marriage, and they had three children: daughter Jo, who passed away at age three of leukemia, daughter Karen, and son, J.J.

Jerry was a founding partner of Lastelick, Anderson & Arneson and a founder and chairman of First Texas Bank; First Texas was later sold to the Bank of Oklahoma and is now part of Bank of Texas.

Jerry’s career embodied the diverse skills and generalist approach of an earlier generation of lawyers. In addition to practice as both a litigator and general business attorney, he became one of the first entertainment lawyers in Dallas, known for his longtime representation of singer Charley Pride.

Jerry’s leadership roles included President of the Dallas Bar Association, Chair of the Board of the State Bar of Texas, and President of the Dallas, Texas, and National Bar Foundations. He was also a President of the Texas Aggie Bar Association, the Leukemia Association of North Central Texas, St. Rita Parish Council, and the St. Thomas More Society. Jerry was also a member of the Serra Club of Metropolitan Dallas. He was Chair of the Jesuit Board of Trustees and was inducted into Jesuit’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

Jerry is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Lorraine, his wife Bettye Jo, and his daughter, Jo. He is survived by his daughter Karen (Marie) Lastelick Higginbotham and her husband, Tim Higginbotham, and his son, Joseph Jerome (JJ) Lastelick, and his grandchildren, Knox Higginbotham and wife, Casey, Hattie Higginbotham, Tanner Lastelick, Trevor Lastelick, Luke Lastelick, and Ryan Lastelick.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Christ the King Catholic Church on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 at 11 a.m., followed by a reception in the Parish Center. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Jerry & Betty Jo Lastelick Family Faculty Fund at Jesuit College Preparatory, 12345 Inwood Road, Dallas, TX 75244, or to the charity of your choice.

IN THE CARE OF
Calvary Hill Funeral Home & Cemetery