Amateur poker player and retired Postal Worker Jack Ury, the man often featured in World Series of Poker Main Event coverage as the oldest in the field, died this week in Terre Haute, Indiana, just shy of his 98th birthday.

Ury, one of the game’s true characters, at 97 holds the record as the oldest player ever to compete in the Main Event, a record he himself broke every year since 2007 when he first gained wide spread notoriety.  It is interesting to note that Ury, according to the WSOP official site, continued to improve his results at the series each year he competed- despite his age- with his best Day 3 finish coming just last year in 2010.

According to his obituary, published by the Callahan-DeBaun Funeral Home & Crematory, Jack is survived by 4 daughters, 11 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, 3 step great grandchildren, 3 great great grandchildren, as well as many other nieces, nephews and son-in-laws. 

No doubt Jack is also fondly remembered by the literally thousands of players that have sat down against him in Vegas over these last 4 years.  He will be sorely missed.