Obituary for John "Jack" Minehart

Share Your Condolences

---

Mary and family My sympathy to you in the loss of your beloved Jack. I hope in time the wonderful memories you have will bring you comfort and ease your pain. God Bless

I'm so sorry for your loss. Mr. Minehart was my 8th grade social studies teacher at Holmes Jr. High, around 1980. He's one of those teachers I look back on with a smile - tough but fair. One lesson he taught me (as I listened to him talk to another student, thank goodness) was never to address someone starting with "hey", as the other student had just done. That point stuck with me through the years. I also remember him telling stories about building the canoes. I'm hoping he was able to pass along that skill.

I too was a student of Mr. minehart's. He was a tough teacher and we worked very hard to get good grades in his class, I remember him fondly for challenging my thinking and making me strive for quality wotk. i'm sorry for your loss. He was definitely one of the good ones and will be remembered by many. Take good care. Sincerely, Paula Marks (one of 4 Klotz girls who had him as a teacher)

I took history from Mr. Minehart during 9th grade in 1977-78, the last year we lived in Cedar Falls. He stoked my love of history and clear writing, he was witty and demanding, and he made me want to go to Dartmouth so that I could be as grounded and clever as he was (I didn't go to Dartmouth but I did make it to New England and I stayed here). I often tell my children that he was a teacher who helped me love learning and who demanded my best work. I am very sorry to hear of his passing but am glad to have a chance to say thank you for the gift of learning and for giving so much to education in Cedar Falls, both through the schools and Outdoors with Jack.

I'm sorry to hear about Jack's passing. We got to meet him and one of those beautiful canoes up in Minn. a few years ago. He also gave us a tour of his first "A" Cottage, it was soooo big. And also the larger home that he had built. But that Canoe was something to behold. My own wife has been gone slightly over three years now. Bless everyone. David DeLancey

A lot of former students are leaving messages about how firm Jack was, yet fair to them, and it is good to hear that others found him even inspirational at times. We do not always respect our teachers or have good memories of high school. Well, I met him when I was twenty and Jack was more than a teacher of mine, he was a mentor - and he was never hard on me. I read about him building canoes in a magazine and wrote to him in the Hail Mary hope that he would teach me the trade. He accepted and I spent five awesome summers with he and his wife and family in the north-woods of Minnesota where he passed on to me the art of building birch bark canoes. I was a doting apprentice and left as a master builder in his own words. He taught me much more and I could go on for pages here. Many of the best times in my life were spent on Little Sand Lake. He has helped revive what was close to a lost art, and I continue to build and to pass on the knowledge I learned from him. I never fail to tell people where I learned or who taught me.

Chris & Family. I'm so sorry for your sudden loss. Please be comforted by the wonderful memories of your dad. God has a special place for him to watch over you now. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Paula

Our thoughts and our prayers are with you. Denny was Jack's student and has known Jack Jr. for many years. May God bless you and your family during this difficult time.

Jack & Chris and your families, I am so sorry to hear about your father's death. He was one of those teachers that made an impact in my life. I remember going on one of his boundary water trips. At that time he showed us where they were making the canoes, but he wasn't making them yet. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.

Mary, Jack Jr., and family: We are very sorry for your loss. Growing up I read Jack's column "Outdoors with Jack" in the Cedar Falls Record. Over the years, we only had a few opportunities to enjoy Jack's company, but each is memorable. He was a man of wide interests and always interesting to talk with. Our thoughts are with you.

I worked with Jack jr. at HyVee and I did Marys hair . I want to offer my sympathy to you both and to the rest of the family. My prayers are with you.

So sorry to hear of Jack's passing. I have such fond memories of him, Mary, Jill, Therese, and the rest of "the gang" at Hojo's every Friday after school telling jokes and hanging out. Condolences to Mary and Jill and the family.

I can still picture him as being a teacher that was really in to being a teacher willing to share what he knew.Was he really related to Jesse James?That seems to be another thing that I can recall. I had a chance to go up to northern Minn. or some where in that area to go canoeing, but things didn't work out.Mr. Minehart will live on in every one that he taught and the world will forever be better!

so sorry for your loss

Mr. Minehart was a truly great teacher, and I have terrific memories of him at Holmes Junior HIgh School back in the early 1970s. He influenced both my love of history and my own teaching career. I extend my sympathy and best wishes to his family.

Mary, Jack, Chris and Dave; We are so sorry to hear about Jack's passing. In my mind, he epitomizes what the "Greatest Generation" was all about, hard work, family values, lover of nature, education, and some pretty firm beliefs. I remember interviewing him for a paper I was doing on the topic of gun control. Oh boy! By the time we were done, you would have thought guns were humanity's best invention. Well, guns were good for not only you and me, they were good the economy, the country, the local communities, they were even good for the animals who got shot by them, (those animals were weak and were going to starve anyway!). I didn't go to Holmes, but he was still one of my best teachers. When he wanted you to know something, you just didn't forget. He will be missed but definitely not forgotten. Dan Chien and Family Neighbor and Friend