It is with great sadness that I share the news of John Louis passing away this morning, Friday, May 8, 2026.

I met John in May of 2010 at the Modesto Rifle Club during my first ISSA Regional match. We immediately became friends. He got me set up on a bench for practice and coached me on reading the wind and mirage there.

I soon began attending the monthly Schuetzen matches at Modesto and spent many great days shooting alongside John. He insisted that  I should arrive on Friday, or Thursday if possible, to spend some practice time at the range. I stayed at his home those nights where I was treated like family by his wife, daughter, and granddaughters.

As many of you know, John shared his knowledge freely with anyone who asked for help or advise. I give him a tremendous amount of credit for the success that I have had in Schuetzen. He was an excellent coach and a mentor to me, as well as one of my closest friends.

Godspeed and farewell my friend.

RIP John.  Thanks for all the advice you shared.

Jack

I always enjoyed his posts. RIP

I also enjoyed John’s posts. Never met him. That’s among my other regrets.

I am so sorry to hear of John Louis's passing.  Deepest condolences to his wife and family.  Jim used to talk with him all the time online.  We even drove to Modesto and Jim and John shot together.  They were wonderful host and we had a great time.

Sad to here. John was a very generous person. He more than once helped me with his knowledge. RIP John.
Jerry sorry for you and his families loss.

I bought one of his tube sights a few years ago and had a lovely conversation with him about aperatures and their use.   

He was really helpful.

Rest in peace John. My condolences to his family and friends. John gave me a lot of great advice over the years via emails and PM's. He was always willing to freely share his knowledge.

Bob

Tremendously generous, helpful, knowledgeable.  We miss you.

Jerry, I am sorry that you have lost a friend that meant so much to you on several levels. We may think we know, but never truly realize what those people are to us until we no longer have them. Regards, Pat

Very sorry to hear of John's passing.  He was very helpful to me, guiding me through the making of my own tube sight.  The BR techniques that he shared were also a great help - load data - etc. etc.
RIP John

Regards,
Joe

Thank you for your help and conversations over the years, Vaya con Dios John.

i met John at the Modesto regional match in 2005. I was an obvious newbie and John ,recognizing it, spent a lot of time coaching me into the sport.
Over the years we became good friends and enjoyed a lot of good times together. He was a tower of shooting knowledge, most all of it learned behind the trigger.
The "Range Rat " has left the range! 
Godspeed on the journey we will all take.

I’m always sorry to see our members leaving us, but something I’ve noticed is that our schuetzen clan tends to be a long-lasting bunch. Some of us may miss a rifle match from time to time or take a sabbatical, but generally, we’re back at the bench before too long, and in many cases schuetzen shooting is a lifelong pursuit. I think the main reason is “Schützen Gemütlichkeit,” or that good-natured comradery that characterizes our sport.