Jack Willis Kotyk was born in St. Louis, Missouri on July 8, 1935, and died on June 5, 2026; born to Dimitri Metro Kotyk and Theresa Marie Kovacevic; historical records indicate his ancestors originated from the towns of Luzek, Dolny, Drohobyc, and Galicia, incorporated into the Soviet Union; some are now located in modern-day Poland and Ukraine. Jack was the oldest of four children.

When only 12 years old, Jack met his wife-to-be Barbara Nothum, and though he didn't know it at the time, they were destined to be married; they wed in Barbara's home in November 1956; later sealed in the Salt Lake City, Utah temple. In 1961, missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to their house in St. Louis, and after three years, they joined the Church, along with their son Daniel. Jack and his wife Barbara lived in the St. Louis area as newlyweds, then moved to Washington, D.C., northern California, Italy, and eventually moved to Utah in 1998 to be closer to family.

While in high school and college, Jack studied to be a machinist, apprenticing in his father's machine shop at a beginning wage of 50¢ an hour, building tools and dies for many shoe and brewery factories, including parts for the F-3 Demon and F-4 Phantom II fighter jets for McDonnel Aircraft Corporation and the United States Navy. In 1958, Jack graduated with a bachelor's degree in engineering from Washington University St. Louis, Missouri, and in 1973 with a master's degree in Business Administration from Golden State University San Francisco, California. After 32 years, Jack retired as a Civil and Industrial Engineer, working at locations such as Chevrolet Washington, D.C., Travis AFB Fairfield, California, McClellen AFB Sacramento, California, Navy Department Headquarters Arlington, Virginia, Vitro Laboratories Washington, D.C., Castle AFB Strategic Air Command Merced, California, Wright Patterson AFB Dayton, Ohio, Camp Darby Army Base Tuscany, Italy, and Dugway Proving Grounds Dugway, Utah.

For years, Jack dedicated his time to service with The Boy Scouts of America (accepting the second degree of Brotherhood), enjoyed photography, camping, fishing, hiking (climbing to the summit of Mt. Whitney – the tallest mountain in the continental United States, was a trained and accomplished vocalist and accordionist, and a skilled mechanic.

Jack served in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a Home Teacher, Young Men's Advisor, Organist, Elder, Stake Missionary, ordained a Seventy by Apostle LeGrand Richards, High Priest, Financial Clerk, bishopric counselor, Family History Worker at the Family History Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, full-time temple missionary at the Frankfurt, Germany temple, temple worker in the Oakland, California temple, and Branch presidency counselor in Livorno, Italy. Jack studied Russian, German, Polish, and Ukraine languages to assist him in his life-long work as a family history researcher, traveling to Eastern Bloc communist states during the Cold War, finding over 6,800 family names, and then publishing three volumes of family historical records, genealogy, personal family data, and photographs.

Jack is survived by his four children: Daniel A. Kotyk, Nanette E. Fisher, Gregory S. Kotyk, and DeNai C. Stephenson, 17 grandchildren, and 32 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2161 West Gray Drive, Lehi, Utah beginning at 11:00 am. A viewing will be held prior from 10-10:45 am. Interment will be at the Lehi City Cemetery.