Jack Besst, 47, of Maple Valley, Wash., and formerly of Potlatch, unexpectedly passed away Monday, June 15, 2020, because of complications of a recent medical procedure.

He was born to Dale and Victoria Besst in Moscow on April 25, 1973, and raised in his family home on Bear Creek in Princeton. Jack was a 1991 graduate of Potlatch High School. Jack attended the University of Idaho and received his B.S. degree in human resources and marketing in 1995, where he was a member of Delta Chi Fraternity and continued to be a proud Idaho Vandal alumni.

He is survived by his wife, Amy; his children, Dawson (20), Carson (18) and Emerson (13), in Maple Valley; his siblings, Katie (Ryan) Ball, of Kamiah, Lisa Besst, of Seattle, and Tim (Kara) Besst, of Moscow. Surviving extended family are: mother-in-law Karen Rath; brother-in-law Craig Rath; plus nephews and nieces Darian Ball, Kesli Godinho, Danielle Smalls, Marissa Smalls, Miles Smalls, Nathan Besst, Addison Besst, McKenna Besst, Ellie Rath, Conner Rath, Lane Rath, Amelia Rath, Nicole Buchanan, Jacob Buchanan and Jack’s first great-nephew, Lincoln Godinho, whom he was able to meet June 11, 2020. Jack is also survived by many cherished aunts, uncles and cousins.

One of his favorite childhood memories, which he most recently spoke about on Memorial Day weekend 2020, was working at the local grocery store (Floyd’s Excell Foods) from the time he was in ninth grade and on weekends/holidays and on an as-needed basis through college. He had a great amount of respect for the owners and they held a special place in his memories.

Jack had a lifetime love of adventure and travel. This began in childhood with his Grandma Ida and frequent visits to the Spokane Airport just to watch airplanes take off and land. He worked for Horizon Airlines at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport while attending the University of Idaho and transferred to the Yakima Airport after his University of Idaho graduation, where he worked as a Horizon Airlines supervisor. Eventually he transferred to the corporate office of Alaska Airlines in Seattle-Tacoma, where he was employed for several years as a recruiter and thus kicked off his career in HR.

Jack spent the majority of his first years working for big tech companies such as Microsoft and Oracle until his love for his work went deeper than tech and he found his way into the health care industry several years ago. Jack transitioned to the Executive Recruiting Team for Providence Health Care in October of last year and was helping to set up the Exec and Tech recruiting function for the new Providence Global Center in India at the time he fell ill in March. He was set to return to work from medical leave June 15, the day of his passing.

His work as a human resources recruiter allowed him to travel and experience adventure on five continents including places in Argentina, China, Canada, Greece, Ireland, New Zealand and Russia. He enjoyed leisure adventures, and his ultimate favorite family vacation was Montego Bay, Jamaica. His best times were on a warm sunny beach with a book in hand surrounded by friends and family. He once traveled to Nome, Alaska, when working for the airlines, just to get to the northernmost part of the United States. Jack was known by many of his family and friends as the “travel agent” of the group. He loved to spend his time planning the next adventure and for him planning the perfect excursion gave him much joy. As good as it was to reach the final destination for Jack, it was the constant planning and discussions with his friends and family that made his day.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Dale and Victoria Besst; father-in-law Harvey Rath; sister-in-law Machelle Rath-Gifford, paternal grandparents Lee and Alice Marie Besst; and maternal grandmother Ida Maurin.

A celebration of life will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday at Scenic 6 Park in Potlatch to allow for social distancing. Seating will be available, but attendees are welcome to bring lawn chairs and masks. Rev. Bob Lambert will officiate the service. A private dinner for family and close friends will follow.

Jack would appreciate any memorial gift donations to go to Tahoma Cross Country Club, 26828 Maple Valley Highway No. 191, Maple Valley, WA 98038; Tahoma Lacrosse Club, P.O. Box 326, Maple Valley, WA 98038; the American Cancer Society; or an organization/charity of donor’s choice. Kramer Funeral Home of Palouse is caring for the family. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kramercares.com.