Burial Date
Obituaries » JOHN "JACK" W. NASH
NASH, JOHN W. “JACK,” 67, of Stowe, died unexpectedly on September 1. He was born Sept. 19, 1945, in Bridgeport, Conn., the son of Walter and Gertrude Oefinger Nash. He married Barbara Smith on April 14, 1973. At age 19, Jack enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam conflict with Company D, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry, 196th Light Infantry Brigade, where he engaged in jungle warfare. Upon his return from military service he enrolled at Johnson State College and received a bachelor’s degree. After college he began working with Warren Kitzmiller in a bike shop in the basement of Shaw’s General Store in Stowe. In 1973 they opened Onion River Sports in Montpelier, which was operated together until 1991, at which point he started a partnership with Louis Garneau. Jack then served as a territory representative for GT Bikes, Specialized Bicycle Components and then most recently with Giant Bicycle Inc. Jack served as the manager of the Stowe-Shimano bicycle racing team, a part of Stowe Bicycle Club, and mentored many national and international racers. He was an excellent bike racer himself and competed nationally with his team. Most of all, Jack enjoyed spending time with his wife and daughter and always looked forward to their Friday night family nights. He was a grill master and was known for his smoked turkeys. He also enjoyed reading and history. Jack touched many people along the way, took friendship and family very seriously. Once you were his friend, it was for life. Jack is survived by his wife, Barbara Smith Nash; their daughter, Laura Nash; two sisters, Sally Morrell and husband Pat, of Stratford, Conn., and Nancy Henderson, of Trumbull, Conn.; a brother-in-law, John Smith, and wife Lynn, of Ludlow; and niece and nephews Samantha Ugrin, Matt Morrell, Jesse Morrell, Jeremy Smith and Zach Smith; cousin Robert Nash and family; and godson William Garneau. He was predeceased by his parents.
