Jake Wallace Lingo was born to Benjamin Franklin Lingo and Rosa Viola Reese Lingo on a farm near Nathan, Arkansas. Little Jake was the youngest among his siblings: Blanche, Dale, Tud, JB, Donald, Rose, and Bernice.

Jake enjoyed his childhood and youth. Many years later, his grandchildren listened with rapt attention to Papaw's stories about his beloved dog, Colleen, and his escapades with his older brothers. When Jake was sixteen, he met Neva Jane Davis, a pretty teenager from a neighboring farm. Neva was the youngest in her family too, and she and Jake hit it off right away. They were still teenagers when they married and set up housekeeping in a tiny cabin called the Dilly House.

The Army Corps of Engineers began a project to dam the Little Missouri River, and young Jake seized the chance for a good paycheck. The dam would bring electricity to Pike County for the first time, and Jake bought an electric fan in anticipation. While they waited, Jake disassembled the fan to see how it worked. The story goes there were some extra pieces left over when he put it back together. Neva said it never worked quite right after the power came on.

Jake was a hard worker, and he was fearless. One day he was atop the growing Narrows Dam when a heavy steel cable broke loose and swung straight at him. Jake quickly assessed the cable's trajectory and leapt out of the way. He later credited the Holy Spirit for this presence of mind. Many men died building dams in the 1940s, but Jake was not among them.

When Narrows Dam was finished, the Corps of Engineers recruited Jake for the next project, which was in another state. By then Neva had given birth to a son, Donald. Jake declined the offer so his family could stay in Arkansas. There were few prospects for work, but he and Neva trusted God would provide. The young family moved to Texarkana. Jake found work in a gas station, and Neva worked in a laundromat across from their little rented house on Pecan Street. Money was tight, and they depended on their parents' plentiful gardens to help stretch the grocery budget.

Jake found a better job as an apprentice to a television repairman. He learned about vacuum tubes and chassis, and soon he could take a broken television apart and put it back together as a working one. Jake bought the television repair business and renamed it Texas Avenue TV Center. He built a reputation in town as a hardworking and honest businessman. He was kind and never spoke ill of others. People said, "You won't find a better man than Jake." We all feel that way.

The 1950s brought Jake and Neva a daughter, Susan. Their third child, Lori, arrived in the 1960s. Jake bought five acres on Highway 71 south of town and moved his family of five there. He cleared two acres for the yard, and he loved tending the grass and trees and flowerbeds. People who passed the Lingo Place were likely to see Jake mowing on his tractor, his arms raised toward Heaven in gratitude for all his blessings.

Eventually, the Lingo children grew up and left home to pursue their own lives, and the time came for Jake to close the business that had so blessed them. He and Neva sorted out their new roles in the house. They opened their hearts and home to their grandchildren, and their lives remained full.

Jake and Neva celebrated fifty years of marriage. Then sixty. Then seventy. Then seventy-five. They grew old, but in their hearts they were still a couple of farm kids ready for the day's adventures. Every morning they shared coffee, and every evening they went off to bed together, hand in hand. In May 2024, Neva left this life, and Jake was alone for the first time since they had made a home in the Dilly House seventy-six years before.

Jake and Neva have always believed the Bible's promise that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him. (1 Corinthians 2:9) Jake missed Neva desperately, and he longed for the good things that lay ahead. On February 24, he said goodbye for now and left this world to join Neva on the other side.

Jake is survived by his children: Donald Lingo (Toni) of Tulsa; Susan Lingo of Arlington; and Lori Harris (Tracy) of Texarkana. Grandchildren are Brian Lingo (Jenny) of Tampa; Kimberly Williams (Kurt) of Tulsa; Matthew Harris (Liberty) of Tansen, Nepal; Jacob Harris of Texarkana; Suzann Whatley (Josh) of Texarkana, and Jon Taylor (Kaitlin) of Tulsa. Great grandchildren are Kole, Kye, and Kooper Williams; Grace, Sadie, Max, and Ava Lingo, Sophie and Benaiah Harris; Ezekiel Harris; MaKynzie, Zaidee Kate, Eliza, and Maizy Whatley; and Harper Eloise Harris.

Visitation is on Monday, March 3, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at Texarkana Funeral Home, 4801 Parkway Drive, Texarkana, Arkansas.

Memorial service is on Tuesday, March 4 at 1:00 pm at Biggs Chapel Methodist Church in Nashville, Arkansas, with Tracy Harris officiating.Due to the inclement weather, the service for Mr. Lingo the service has been moved to 1:00 P. M.

Burial will be in Academy Cemetery.