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Goodnight Johnboy

Started by Mhayes, September 23, 2012, 07:46:15 PM

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Mhayes

Hi Everyone,

In the TV series titled The Waltons each episode ended with the family members saying goodnight before the lights went out.  Johnboy was one of the main characters and you would hear at the end: "Goodnight Johnboy."  OPR's Johnboy was John H. Bowser who joined OPR on Dec 12, 2006 and his last post was July 11, 2012 on the forum. It is with great sadness that we have learned that John had passed away August 8, 2012 at the age of 68 after loosing his battle with cancer.



Link to leave condolences: http://browndawsonflick.com/obituaries/2183/john-h-bowser/


Some volunteers come and go, but John was in it for the long haul. Last night I went back and read all of his post starting at the beginning right up until July 11, 2012—less than a month before his death. It amazed me to see how John's restoration skills improved and where in the beginning he needed help on the forum, but later he would be giving help and encouragement to others. What stood out the most from reading these old post was his kind words of encouragement even when the volunteer's restore wasn't coming together. Some years ago Johnboy wrote in response to Ray's forum post of "Just Curiosity":

Ray,

I too am among the retirees. I have been retired just over 2 years. In my former life I worked in higher education in the audio visual area. In simple terms I started out as an order taker and order writer up for the production area involving photography, graphics, printing and copying. I did this for about 15 years and then became manager over this group. I retired as the manager over just printing and copying. I spent about the next 20 years in some form of management.

I too, Ray, like to garden. I have done both vegetables and flowers for many years. I just wrapped up the garden for this year in the last few days. I don't mind mowing grass but 3.5 to 4 acres is a bit much Max. It was quite dry here this summer so there wasn't much need for mowing. I also tutor at an elementary school near our church. I am now in my third year doing that with the same teacher.

I am married and have two daughters (38 & 33), and two grandchildren a girl 6 and a boy 4. These two can keep you busy when they visit. Everyone lives local so that is not a problem.

When I retired one of my goals was to learn more about Photoshop. Plus with a strong photo background it only seemed natural. I would help the students send their digital files to the printer, but knew little else about the software. Layers used to be a mystery to me. I found some tutorials and started working on them. I still have several more to do. I learned about OPR through an Apple web start up news page. I read the early blogs and then the forum. I finally joined last December. I don't have extra travel funds to go help build houses, but I can set at home helping to return memories that could have been lost forever. I have enjoyed being part of this group, and all its camaraderie.




John's thoughts on getting older back in 2008: http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,1651.msg17316.html#msg17316

John's take on retirement: http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,1949.msg19577.html#msg19577

This post made me smile: http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,2388.msg23048.html#msg23048

Insight on early film masking: http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,2522.msg23932.html#msg23932

Welcoming a new member: http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,2812.msg25994.html#msg25994

Great tip on hand colored textured photo:
http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,2971.msg27278.html#msg27278

John offering encouragement to Tess while down playing his own health problems:
http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,3732.msg33793.html#msg33793

To see more of John's post:



John, you will be sorely missed, but not forgotten by either us or the families whose pictures you restored.

Margie
"carpe diem"

Margie Hayes
OPR President
[email protected]

Tess (Tassie D)

I will sorely miss that great sense of humour John had. So many times he brought a smile to my face reading about the 'muck machines' and our endeavours to send him crosseyed.
John, you were a true gentleman and we will miss having you around here.
My sincere condolences to the family.

To live in the hearts of those we love is never to die. (Thomas Campbell)
Tess Cameron
Distribution Coordinator
[email protected]

Mike S.

#2
John represented the heart and soul of Operation Photo Rescue.  He was always willing to help others with their restores and offered a wit unmatched.  I considered him a friend and mentor. He treated everyone that way.  We all miss him. 

His posts on the "Mucking Machines" are classic.  For those of you not familiar with OPR, when a volunteer picks a photo from the gallery to restore they look at lower res versions.  When the photos are  downloaded you get a better look at the actual damage and it always looks worse and more complicated.  The Gallery Distributors are teased about using "Mucking Machines" to mess them up.   Johnboy got in so deep one time we had to offer to hide him out in Michigan so the distributors could not find him.  It was all in good fun.  Follow the link below to see the post.
http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,3332.msg30125.html#msg30125

Mike
Mike S.

Hannie

The forum will be a lesser place without Johnboy...
Always ready to help, give suggestions or compliment a volunteer with their project, we will miss him so much.

Johnboy loved to joke around as well, the infamous Stampeding Circus animals are another example of his sense of humor:

http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,1550.msg16299.html#msg16299

http://www.operationphotorescue.org/forum/index.php/topic,2515.msg23900.html#msg23900

My thoughts are with the family, wishing everyone strength in these difficult times.



Hannie
Hannie Scheltema
Distribution Coordinator
[email protected]

Jonas.Wendorf

It's always sad to see friends go, especially when they're such great people like John was.
My thoughts are with his wife and family, he will always remain in our memories.
Best regards,
Jonas

schen

It is sad that John is not with us anymore.  His contributions in restoration and helping others on the forum will be missed.

Shujen
Shujen Chen
Windows 10, Photoshop CS6

Tori803

We'll miss John. His posts were always encouraging. Wishing his family the best ...
Tori
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence." -Calvin Coolidge

lurch

It's so sad that Johnboy is gone. We'll miss his wit and teasing terribly.
<C>

Bambi

Forum just won't be the same. His wit and creativity made the work more fun. Thank you for posting the links. It's good to read them again. We'll miss him.

Bambi

glennab

This is a huge loss for OPR - and for me personally.  JB and I had a wonderful time bantering and doing our utmost to both welcome and warn our newbies about the joys and perils of being an OPR volunteer.  My condolences go out to his family. I'm going to assume that he'll be one of our angels - keeping an eye out, especially for Hannie's hijinks - and making sure we stay on track.  I'm especially bereft that I've been missing in action and hadn't been able to join him in welcoming our new members. May he have a peaceful journey to his next adventure.  I'll miss you, JB.

GK
What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal. ~Albert Pine

(Photoshop CS5 /Mac Pro)

Pat

#10
Johnboy graced the OPR Forum with a spirit of generosity, helpfulness, and kindness, along with a good sprinkling of mischievousness just to keep things lively and us on our toes.  When it came to restoring photos John also had an excellent eye and his work exhibited the delicate touch that is the mark of someone well accomplished in the techniques of photo restoration.  We are all saddened by his passing. 



Goodnight Johnboy
Pat

"Take a deep breath and think of the three things you are grateful for, right in this moment."  -MJ Ryan Author