Learned today that a man that got me started in traditional bowhunting...that I had pleasure of buying my first bow from personally...that came to shoots and shot with me when I lived in Sumter...passed today. Mr Owen Jeffery was one of the original bowyers for Fred Bear before going to work for Shakespeare and eventually buying the equipment and starting his own bow company.
I visited with him first at his old shop on Pepper Street in Columbia SC. The man loved to hunt some hogs...and was a hell of a shot into his 80s.
Many do not realize his impact to Fred Bear and his bows....olympic archery...hollywood movie props...and just influencing the sport we all love.
RIP Mr. Own,
Keep em sharp....
Rest well
Sorry to hear that man.. REST...
He was an unsung hero of archery for sure...
Cant remember where I got this but reposting a short bio someone provided. This was 7 or 8 years ago if not mistaken when written:
Owen Jeffery worked for Hoyt Archery from 1942 - 1956 in building and designing bows that has won National & World titles. He was the head of the Shakespeare Archery Division for 7 years, President of manufacturing for 12 years for Fred Bear, and was Fred's hunting and fishing buddy. He designed the well known Fred Bear takedown, Super Kodiak and the Kodiak Magnum. Mr. Jeffery started his own bow building business (Jeffery's Archery in Columbia, S.C) in 1976. He has built over 50,000 bows. Owen is an accomplished archer as well, having won the Missouri State Champion six times and was Midwestern Champion, National Broadhead Champion, and Southern Regional Champion. He also taught Olympic shooters for the U.S., Russians, Japanese, French and Austrians. Jeffery is an avid bowhunter too; he took a world record whitetail buck that hung in the Fred Bear Museum. Although 84 years old, Owen Jeffery took 35 hogs last year with his bow!"
Very sad to hear. Got my first recurve from Owen when I was in college in about 92 or so. He probably spent 4 hours with me teaching me to shoot, telling me stories and answering all of my newbie questions.
Glad I still have a few of his bows. What a great man.
Sorry to hear that. My first recurve, that I still own and shoot, is a Heritage Raven, good shooting bow.
What an amazing man and amazing life! Sorry for the loss of your friend.
RIP Owen!
If he's not in the hall of fame, he should be!
Great impact on archery, for sure.
RIP
God Speed Owen! :campfire:
Owen Jeffery - a name and a man that is almost synonymous with archery. Truly a huge loss for the archery family. He will be greatly missed.
Sorry to hear this. Didn't know him well but met him a couple times. I just picked up a Jeffery Archery Royal Hunter of Trad Gang a few weeks ago. Great shooting bow.
Prayers sent for Mr Owens friends and family.
RIP........ :pray:
RIP!
Prayers for those experiencing this tremendous loss.
God bless,Mudd
RIP Mr. Owen
DDave
RIP Owen Jeffery
RIP Owen, you are with the Greats of our sport
RIP Mr Jeffery. Thank you for all your years promoting this passion of mine.
RIP Mr.Jeffery
Mr. Owen was a fine man and a pleasure to be around. So much knowledge and interesting stories. I had the priveledge to hunt hogs with him on a couple of occasions. The archery world has truly lost a legend.
RIP. prayers will be offered.
His is a name I haven't heard in many years. He sure packed a lot of archery in a long life. I appreciate Brock for letting us know.
Congratulations, Mr Jeffery on a life well lived!
When I lived in Columbia SC, I would enjoy stopping by his archery shop to buy supplies and hear his stories. I loved his great passion for bowhunting, even at his age, and hope I can "keep the archery fire burning" like he did. What a man!
Some memorable things Mr. Owen has said to me over the years....
I think I need a sight pin for my bow....
"you'll be able to kill more deer if you learn to shoot without a sight."
Which broadhead works the best?
"they all will kill a deer and none of them will kill anything."
"you don't need half he sh!+ we sell in here. Just go hunting!"
He always made me laugh with his matter of fact opinion on what it took to put critters on the ground.....
you'd be amazed at the name bows that were built in that Pepper Street shop over the years. Some of the forms in there had some well known names on them. Prayers sent for Tom- I know he's got to be hurting...they were pretty inseparable over the years.
I leapt back into archery on the limbs of a Jeffery Mity-Mag Classic. He gave us all so much, and my prayers go out to those who were close to him. He breathed a fresh life into many facets of our history and sport.
Killdeer :archer2:
Legend for sure, RIP...
As a young man I shot with both Tom and Owen on many occasions. Tom and I shot in the class. Owens instinctive style and accuracy was always an inspiration.
The world is a lesser place because of his passing.
That's me in the top row, Tom bottom center and Owen bottom right.
(http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/St.LouisBowhunters.jpg)
So sad to hear of his Passing ! Sincere condolences to his family and close friends !!
RIP Mr. Jeffrey
Owen E. Jeffery COLUMBIA - Owen Edward Jeffery, 91, of Columbia entered into rest, Friday, March 18, 2016, in Palmetto Health Richland. Born October 22, 1924, in O'Neal, AR, he was a son of the late Owen T. and Sarah Belle Kelley Jeffery.
Owen was a Marine Corps veteran and actively served during WWII. He was a crew chief on B-25s and saw action in the South Pacific. During his 66 years in the archery business, Owen was a world-renowned Master Bowyer, and held multiple archery tournament championship titles and had been recently nominated to the Archery Hall of Fame. In 1976, Owen started Jeffery Archery which is a manufacturing and retail business in Columbia, SC. In 1978, he was a guest instructor for the French Institute of Sports, training the instructors of the French National Archery Team in advanced archery techniques. In recent years, most everyone knew Mr. Jeffery as an avid outdoorsman, hunter and tireless ambassador for the sport of archery.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Erin Adeline Tidwell Jeffery, with whom he shared a union of more than 54 years; as well as a brother, Gerald Jeffery.
He is survived by his two children, Tom Jeffery and Sharon Moreau (Joe); sister, Iona Boicourt; brother, Melvin Jeffery; two grandchildren, Meghan Heather and Joe Moreau IV, and three great-grandchildren, Claire and Caitlin Heather, and Joey Moreau V; and one nephew, Melvin Jeffery.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 21, 2016, at Thompson Funeral Home at Greenlawn Memorial Park, 845 Leesburg Road, Columbia, SC 29209. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Inurnment will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Bill O'Reilly Independence Fund, by visiting http://independencefund.org/page/donate.
Rest in peace Owen
Owen taught me everything I know about hunting and archery. I was fortunate enough to work for he and Tom all throughout high school and into college. Chasing hogs was his passion and I certainly enjoyed hunting them with him.
After his wife's passing Owen went everyday to visit her at green lawn cemetery while he was still able drive. I know he is with her now in heaven looking down on us.
Owen was a truley wonderful soul that I will miss dearly.
Prayers up for his family and friends!
Bisch
"Although 84 years old, Owen Jeffery took 35 hogs last year with his bow!"
There is unfortunately not a lot related to bowhunting that impresses me these days. But that statement right there along with Mr. Jeffery's bowhunting life sure does!
I can only hope to be half the bowhunter he was if I'm still alive at that age. It sounds like a bowhunting life well lived. May he rest in peace.
May the road rise up to met you. May the sun shine on you. May the breeze always be in your face. And may the Lord hold you in the hollow of His hand. RIP. Mr. Jeffrey.
I was there today. Really nice service and was given a marine burial . I met his brother for the first time . They look a lot alike.
RIP Mr Owen
Prayers sent for Mr. Jeffery's family.
In time, I'd sure like to see Owen Jeffery added to the Legends and Pioneers forum. A lot of written material is available that could be compiled there.
My first bought trad bow was a "Canoochi Warrior" takedown recurve made by Owen Jeffery. I ordered from Earnest Gilbert of Gilbert Archery in Savannah. That was back in the mid 1980s. I still have the bow.
Mr. Jeffery was another of the pioneers of modern traditional archery and he will be missed.
http://sportingclassicsdaily.com/
Here is nice article on Mr. Jeffery
Now that's a man's man....
RIP Sir.
Mr. Lamb what year was that picture taken ?
Probably 64 or 65. Not positive.
Another great loss to the archery community . :pray:
so sorry for the loss of a friend of yours & all trad archers
He made a great bow. I remember I bought a Jeffery "Special" in 1991. I was shooting it the other day admiring how well it still shoots to this day. I always admired him and his work. RIP Mr.Owen.
RIP!
RIP
RIP Owen.
RIP