Dear Friends,

Monday July 30th, 2007  John  George passed away at home with his family by his side.  John had spent the last 9 months valiantly battling cancer.  I cannot tell him how much he has meant to all of us.

There will be a viewing held at  Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home in Chestertown on Thursday August 2nd from 7 to 9 pm.  The funeral service will begin at 11 am on Friday August 3 also at the  Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home .   In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Chester River Home Care and Hospice or the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation  .

*****Remembering John******

A lot of us remember the last shoot at J&P's - The Great Pumpkin October 29th, 2006.  As we walked around the course memories cascaded down upon us at every turn. 

Walking into the front office I remember my first visit to J&P and meeting all the new and wonderful people.  I can't forget the Saturday and Sunday mornings meeting all of my friends in the kitchen where Penny would have some wonderful treats for us to eat.  The Christmas parties where John and Penny would invite us to join our extended family for the holiday.  I remembered the new groups that formed and brought new people into this wonderful sport. 

Walking outside towards the shed I remember all the shoots when the parking lot was overflowing with people.  I remember the effort John made to welcome the youth to the sport and the appreciation of the great outdoors.   I remember the award the Department of Natural Resources presented John for their appreciation of all his efforts and generosity.  I remember the variety of people who would come to different shoots for different organizations.  The Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation  shoot was one of John's favorite.  Last year “Bo” Aldigé  presented John with a token of their appreciation for his years of work with the organization. 

You never knew who you might meet in the parking lot.  There is Senator John Astle.  He and John fought very hard to preserve our sport at J&P's and all ranges in Maryland.  Without his determination and fortitude sporting clays may have become a lingering memory.  Once again, thank you John!!

In 2001 J&P's was named the Queen Anne's County small business of the year.  It was no small business to us.  It was home away from home.  We all loved this place.  Literally dozens and dozens of young people entering the work force got their start here.  John and Penny along with Tammy and Denise helped keep them in order and helped a lot of youngsters turn out to be very polite young adults. 

Then I thought - what made John George get interested in shooting clay targets?  I found out!!!  John's grandfather, Joseph M. George,  had been an expert skeet shooter as well as a good mentor for his grandson.  Of course following in his grandfather's footsteps caused him to join up with some unscrupulous individuals.  Some of whom I saw around here this very day!!  I now understood what caused John to be such a good shooter and a good friend.  John always made sure we had fair targets to shoot at and a safe and inviting atmosphere in which to gather. 

As I walked towards the shed I wondered what kind of creatures I might meet during this Great Pumpkin.  Would John be there to protect us?  He caught one creature in 2005.  It was nothing to be scared of, but John held on to it none the less.  Thank you John.

Walking down the course, I saw a lot of people shooting at the 5 stand.  I could remember John at the 5 stand with a gun in his hand.  This is where we had the 49'ers shoot every year.  John would participate in these challenges each year.  He was a 49er with a couple of repeats to be sure.   He was up against some good shooters and hard targets.  Mr. Frank Kimble had picked a few doozies!!  John had Doug Davis and Carter Stanton wondering who was going to surface as the winner. 

I came across Ingrid and John Sigler.  I had shot with them for many years.  It made me think back to Club Championships and Blue Crab shoots.   There were many many great memories from the numerous Blue Crab shoots.  The logistics and group effort that went in to planning and executing such an event shows what kind of person John was and how dedicated he and his entire family were to all of the shooters.  I just saw the Carey Boys.  They sure put the hurting on some clays around here!!!  It didn't matter what shoot it was, John was always glad to see all his friends return for another shot at his targets.  Of course there were some dangerous moments for John.  He had to guard the crabs until he was sure all the shooters were off the course and ready to dig in to a pile of Eastern shore's finest crustaceans.

Everything looks so nice around here.  I can remember how John would continually spruce up the place and sometime a little extra for events like the Maryland State Shoot.  John knew how to put on a shoot!  He was the best!!!  Every shooter appreciated the personal touches John and his family made sure went into each and every shoot.

I will remember Oct 29th, 2006 for the rest of my life.  I had spent many shoots with Tammy scoring the events trying to make sure each result was perfect.  No shoot was any more important than another when it came to scoring.  If I was not scoring, I was taking pictures.  The one person I could not get a good picture of was Tammy.  I can't show you any of the early attempts I made.  She always moved or something so the picture would not work.  Well, this was a special day.  It was the last day for J&P's and the last day for many of us to be together.  I caught a picture as John was presented with an award.  No award could  convey the appreciation of the thousands of people who walked the course at J&Ps, but it is hard to put into words the feelings we all thought.  I have tried to convey some of those feelings, but maybe my last picture will capture it. My last picture at J&P's was able to capture the love and adoration a daughter has for her father.  Unspoken, but very loud.  It is the  image of John that we can all remember.  The time on the clock has stopped, but our memories will live forever.

Johnny, I cannot tell you how much you will be missed, but I can assure you that you will never be forgotten.

With Total Respect....

Marshall Klinefelter