Jake Broadway, 85, of Blossom, died Saturday, June 16, 2018, at Pine Tree Ranch in Paris. A celebration of his life is set for 2:00 PM Tuesday, June 19, 2018, at Fry & Gibbs Funeral Home with the Reverend Donald Shovan officiating. The family will receive friends at 1:00 PM prior to the service.
Jake was born May 1, 1933, in Henrietta, Texas, the son of Alvis Benton and Naomi Koehn Broadway and brother to Alvis, Jeanne, Anna Marie, Mary Louise, Bobby, Edmond, Peter, and Kenneth. At twelve, following the unexpected death of his father, this third sibling met his greatest challenge. He was run over by a brand new, speeding vehicle while crossing the road, carrying two loaded milk cans. Local doctors did everything they knew to do yet was unable to save his crushed right leg. The only option given his mother was to amputate the leg or release him from the medical facility the following morning. God intervened in answering his mother’s prayers and the following morning, an ambulance picked him up in Paris and transported him to Shriner’s Hospital in Shreveport, LA. Healing occurred there on many levels, and stepping stones were built one day at a time over a two-and-a-half-year period that ultimately changed the course of his life. He developed an appetite for reading, spelling, and mathematics and learned to crochet and knit. By the time he was released, he was more than ready to complete the seventh grade, a three-year tribulation, and he walked out of the hospital on his crushed leg.
He attended Detroit High School where he graduated Valedictorian of the Class of 1952. He received an Associate degree from Paris Junior College and while there, met the love of his life, Dave. The two moved on to Sam Houston State University in attainment of their Baccalaureate degrees and were later wed on February 14, 1957.
Jake’s love for children and learning led him into the Houston and Paris Independent School Districts where he taught until his own children entered the public-school arena. He then worked for the industry until the two completed college and he returned to teach in Detroit, Texas. He remained there until 1998 when he took a year of early retirement to care for Dave, who had suffered a severely debilitating stroke. He opened Jake Broadway Income Tax Services and worked within the home, so he could cater to Dave’s every need. He never left her side. Even after she entered a long-term care facility, he managed to find a way to be with her every day of her remaining life.
He was truly a lover of mankind. He loved being at one with nature. He loved wood-working. He loved horses and cattle. He loved friends and family. When he wasn’t caring for others, he found a way to relax with a good book. He was always smiling, always positive, always grateful, always giving.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Dave McGahan, parents, Alvis and Naomi Broadway, brothers, Edmond and Peter Broadway, sister, Anna Marie Hollingsworth, and grandson, Zachary Broadway. Survivors include his children, Mac and Tracy Broadway; grandchildren, Krista Broadway Swider and husband Jeremy, Claire, Jacob, April and Joshua Broadway, great-granddaughter, Jamie Broadway; siblings, Alvis Broadway, Jeanne Brown, Mary Louise Simmons, Robert Broadway and Kenneth Broadway; several cousins, nieces and nephews, and a plethora of friends.
Honorary pallbearers will be Steve Adkins, Michael Davis, Paul Miller, Bobby Richardson, Jacob Broadway, and Joshua Broadway.
The family wishes to thank everyone at Pine Tree Ranch, Doctors Paul Bercher and Devabrata Ganguly, Erin, Nancy, Linda and the entire On-Call Hospice staff for the extraordinary care given our loved one. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Shriner’s Hospital of Shreveport, LA or the Alzheimer’s Association.
