Jackson Columbus Bebber

Jackson Columbus Bebber, 50, a loving husband, son, and father to three girls, died Saturday, March 11, 2023, at Lake Lure.

Jack was born October 23, 1972, in Chapel Hill. He graduated from Alexander Central High School in Taylorsville in 1991, then played baseball at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, from which he graduated with honors in 1995. He was an award-winning residential and commercial real estate broker and green builder before returning to school to earn his law degree from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2013, where he was an editor of the North Carolina Law Review.

Jack was an accomplished trial attorney and senior principal at Van Winkle Law Firm in Asheville, where he focused on civil litigation and eminent domain defense. He served as chair of the North Carolina Advocates for Justice Eminent Domain Section and as Vice Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Litigation Section Council. He was a director of the UNC Law Alumni Board and the Asheville Board of Realtors. He also served on the Asheville Downtown Commission and the Asheville-Buncombe Historic Resources Commission. Jack was named a Super Lawyers Rising Star in eminent domain and personal injury and a Best Lawyer in Litigation – Land Use and Zoning.

A country boy who grew up not knowing what a curb was, Jack had a brilliant mind, a huge heart, and a gentle and loving nature that endeared him to people wherever he went. A quintessential renaissance man, Jack was a teacher, a coach, an athlete, an organic farmer, a musician, a fisherman, a sun-worshipper, a hot sauce fanatic, a brewer of mead, a top-notch litigator, and most importantly, a devoted, generous, and loyal person. He was an enthusiastic learner who never lost his curiosity about the world, especially the people in it.

Jack was a child of nature who sought the sun on his back – and then on his front – at every opportunity. He loved to travel, especially driving around his home state to visit his daughters in college. He cherished family time and those one-on-one moments, and his eyes lit up at the sight of his beloved girls and his wife, Tami, whom he was crazy about.

Jack was also an avid reader and student of history who loved to share with his children the joys of a brown sign diversion on any road trip. But, music was Jack’s true passion. Self-taught on guitar, banjo, fiddle, and mandolin, with an encyclopedia of tunes in his head, he loved nothing more than singing and playing with friends, whether around a campfire, a back deck, a boat, or a stage. He was most at home with an instrument in his hands and loved ones at his side.

To everyone who met him, Jack was magnetic and infectious but always down to earth, with a perfect smile that appeared quickly and easily. He lived his life with gusto, generating an unforgettable and palpable energy that was uniquely Jack Bebber.

He is survived by the love of his life, Tami Bebber of Arden; amazing daughters, Judy, Molly, and Sally; devoted parents, Grace Deal of Fletcher, and Gary L. Bebber (Malinda Gryder) of Taylorsville; aunt, Glenda Kucharski (Richard) of Asheville; cousin, Sarah Kucharski of Charlotte; stepsister, Sarah Bost of Seattle; and a dizzying array of friends and family who will miss him terribly.

A celebration of life will be held at The Wedge Brewing Co. in Asheville. Look for details soon on the Go Fund Me site, where donations can be made to support the Bebber Family: https://gofund.me/0ab5d81f.