It is with a sad and heavy heart that I report the passing of my hero, and good friend, JACK HOWARD.

On Saturday, October 29, 2005, JACK HOWARD passed away at the age of 83, in Nevada City, CA.   He is survived by his wife Dorothy.  They had no children.

Many of you on TRADGANG had the honor of trading posts with Jack, and remember what a great guy he was.   He was considered by many of us to be one of the best Bowyers ever.  His CLASSIC and JET model bows were also considered by many to be the best bows ever made.

According to his wife, Jack began making bows in 1947, the same year they were married.  He continued making bows until this year, still working on some shortly before his death.  Jack had developed some unique methods in his bow production; methods not used by any other bowyer.  The end result was a product that was not matched by many other bows. That is a career of 58 years.  All bows were made 100% by him, from start to finish.  No one else ever had any hand in producing his bows.  That has to be the longest career of a single bowyer that I know of.

Jack was also one of the pioneers of modern bow hunting.  He was one of the original BIVY HUNTERS in that he would back-pack into his favorite hunting countries for up to a week at a time, alone.   His exploits and contributions to traditional archery will be remembered by many for years to come.

By now, he is in that Happy Hunting Ground, sitting around a campfire swapping lies with the likes of Fred Bear, Howard Hill, Ben Pearson, and others.

Jack's website can be seen at  www.jacksgamemaster.com

He will be sadly missed.

So it is with fond memories that I say farewell to my hero, my friend, JACK HOWARD.

That's a real bummer.  He had a good life and was liked by many, and I'm sure he will be missed.
Goose

My deepest sympathies go out to his family and all who called him friend.  He was a definate icon of the traditional community.  I have no doubt he'll be missed greatly.

Got Jack's email last night, a very sad day for our commmunity. Prayers out to his family and friends who are left with a large emptiness from Mr. Howard's passing.

Prayers from Arkansas for his Wife and friends to find compfort in his and His peace.

>>>>--------->

In prayer this morning , for one of the fore fathers in archery ....God bless...its sad  mark#78... I remember his stories and adventures as a young kid , in many archery magazines.

Blessings to him on his way, and to those left behind.

I never had the chance to meet Jack but he has left his mark and will be remembered for many years to come. I wish peace for his family and freinds.

JL

Sad news. The guy is a legend. Godspeed to family and friends.

TOMANO

Prayers for his wife for comfort in these times of great sorrow. Our Loss for sure but heaven's gain...Mac~

I've only spoken with Jack a couple of times, But the one thing that stands out the most was that he's going to do it his way, Period.

I'm sure that's how he lived his life, his way.

We have most assuredly lost an archery great.


My prayers for his eternal salvation,his wife I pray for her peace and strength in Jesus name, Amen.


Hutch

Sad to hear this news...thanks for sharing.

I wish his family peace in their time of need.

Take Care,
Marc

Gone but never forgotten.

May his legacy live forever.

Another icon gone.  I'm glad that we have those who can keep his stories, his legacy, and his bows alive.
God Bless his family and friends.

Claudia

Anyone that has orders in for bows, please be patient.  Phil and I are doing what we can to help Ms. Dorothy to settle up any orders she can.  Orders that cannot be fulfilled will have their deposits or full payments returned.  To help us in this effort, if you have sent money to Jack as a deposit or full payment, please e-mail me your complete contact information to include name, address, all phone numbers, e-maill address,and what you had on order.  As soon as Ms. Dorothey can get things a bit settled down, she will make every effort to settle up.  Jack had some bows that were ready for the final finish. I suggested to her that she sell them at a reduced price and let  the owners send them the Bowdoc, Droptine59, or others that can finish them.  The sanding is all done on most so the finishing price should be reasonable.  However, Ms Dorothey would rather issue a refund rather than sell with a guarantee as she has no way of replacing bows under warranty.  Before you agree to a refund, keep in mind that these bows may be the most collectible Howard bows ever, since they are the absolute last that he produced.

My condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Howard.

God Bless his family and friends. May they find peace in their time of sorrow. Amen!

God Bless!

Jim

My Deepest Sympathy for the Howard Family. I spoke to Jack numerous times over the years. A great guy, a true Icon to the sport of Bowhunting and Bowbuilding.

I cannot express how I felt when Jack's wife told me of his passing.  I knew he wasn't well but never expected him to be gone so soon.  I wish I had gotten to know him decades ago.  He was set in his ways, but he didn't compromise his beliefs just to please others.  I respect him for that.  Plus he made a heck of a bow.

Phil

Prayers for the Family. Sad day indeed.<><