John B. Myers

1944-2024

On Sunday, September 10, 1944, John B. Myers, more commonly known as Jack, was born in Akron, Ohio to an owner of a meat market, Harold, and his wife Audree. There are no surviving witnesses to those earliest days, yet we can safely assume that shortly after his first steps, he started to show the characteristics that would make him beloved by friends and family for over the course of the next 80 years, namely his positive attitude, kindness, generosity, loyalty, and a sharp sense of humor paired with an adventurous spirit.

He was still a boy when his family moved from Akron to a farm just outside of Ashtabula, Ohio, and it was there on the coast of Lake Erie that he would live until graduating from Ashtabula High School. He then attended Ohio University in Athens and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Geology before moving down south and completing a Masters in Geology at The University of Texas in El Paso.

Once free to fully pursue his career, he did so for Texaco in Midland, Texas, but Midland was not to his liking, so he packed up his Corvette and headed to California. He ended up selling the car to go on an expedition to the Isla de Útila in the Caribbean Sea. He spent his days exploring shipwrecks and searching for lost Spanish treasure, and he spent his nights sleeping in a hammock strung between two palm trees. When the Caribbean proved fickle and failed to yield its riches, Jack headed into the Honduran hill country to pan for gold. This did not work out. His dream of striking it rich had come up short and had left him flat broke yet with a wealth of stories. There was nothing left for him to do except return to the oil business.

The Gulf Coast proved to be more generous to the young treasure hunter than the Caribbean had been and working for Shell in New Orleans suited him better than working in West Texas. His bond with the city was so deep that he would even continue to return to it over the course of his life to participate in the Crescent City Classic 10k and to reunite with friends.

It was also in New Orleans where a chance encounter would change his life. One night in front of the green doors of Pat O’Brien’s, a voice made him turn around. “Jack! Jack!” it called.

He had known Kathy Henderson long ago in Ashtabula, and now she was a nurse living in New Orleans. It’s just like the old saying, “Unlucky in selling your classic Stingray Corvette and diving for sunken Spanish treasure—lucky in love.” In 1973 they got married and stayed married for 51 wonderful years.

Their life together then took them to Houston, Texas, where Jack continued working as a geologist looking for oil. Along with his brother, Gard, he also started another family meat market and later a barbeque sauce company named Old Ranch Hand as well as an oil company called JMX Petroleum.

In 1987 Jack and Kathy moved to Englewood, Florida, and he worked for the Department of Environmental Protection, joined the Elks Club, and was a member of Faith Lutheran Church. They bought a sailboat and spent their free time leisurely exploring the Gulf of Mexico. Upon retirement from the state, Jack let his hair grow long as he had often said he would and could be found wearing a tank top, sipping a beer, and cooking a brisket on the smoker. It may have been tempting to stay put in the tropical sun, but he and Kathy were not done with their adventures and purchased an Airstream. They took that shiny aluminum trailer as far from Englewood as Seattle and continued to travel until the trailer’s untimely demise in Hurricane Ian.

Jack passed away after a long illness at the age of 80 with Kathy by his side early on Christmas morning in 2024. He was a geologist, a treasure hunter, an entrepreneur, a sailor, and a marathoner, yet he is most fondly remembered as a husband, uncle, and friend. He is survived by his wife Kathy and his nephew John Myers and his in-laws Barry, Matthew, and Nathan Henderson. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Faith Lutheran Church 551 Rotonda Blvd W, Rotonda West, Florida 33947. A memorial service at Faith Lutheran Church will soon be announced.