#449: SPOTLIGHT: Jack Elkins

#449: Jack Elkins 

Dec 9, 2025

A Backbeat of Community 

Question for Jack: 

Can you describe a meaningful experience from the past month that unexpectedly led you to reflect on family, legacy, and the ways joy shows up in your life?

Jack's Response: 

This past month, we lost my grandmother—“Grammy”—a remarkable woman who raised five kids after my granddad passed away young. She was just three weeks shy of 106. Though her body had kept her chained in recent years, she’s now free. I believe she’s in a better place. She met both my boys when she was lucid, and she passed peacefully. Despite the distance between Florida and Greensboro, NC, she shaped my early years deeply.

At her funeral, I found myself standing before the graves of my great-grandparents for the first time. It reminded me of an exercise from Alive at Work by Daniel Cable, where you’re asked to name your four grandparents (no problem), then your eight great-grandparents---and realize how quickly legacies fade. Yet that day, surrounded by stories and laughter, it didn’t feel like legacy was lost. I was joyful. 

Grammy loved baseball. My grandfather on my dad’s side played professionally. I’ve found joy coaching my son’s team. Hearing my parents tell their siblings that my grandparents would’ve loved to see me coach, that was everything. I don’t care if my name is remembered – I’m “Coach.” The joy and impact are enough. 

We won our first playoff game, after a fun week of practice, where we played games and gave out baseball cards from my colleagues at work. It’s become a season of joy that bleeds through everything else – conversations, friendships, family. 

P.S. Before I flew up for the funeral, I played a late-night softball game. I almost skipped it for sleep, but they needed me. We went into extra innings, and I had one of my best games. I think Grammy was having a laugh, making me stay up and cheering me on.