John Wootters

John Wootters
was born February 9th 1928 to Dr. John and Mary Spence Wootters of Crocket, and passed away January 29th 2013 in Kerrville, Texas. He is survived by his wife Jeanne, sweetheart of 61 years, Jerry and Dorothy McRae, Virge McRae, cousins Cora Sue Warren and Dr. Joe F. Warren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
John will be missed by all of us who were privileged to know him, and all the thousands who only knew him through his writing. Writing was his passion; he made it his living. He kept creating memorable pieces until the very end because he just couldn't stop writing!
His first writing venture in 1950 was for the Cancer Bulletin for Houston's famed M.D. Anderson's hospital A challenging assignment, but his keen mind and obsession for learning made the reports a success. Writing became a full time occupation in the '50s; his first story was about fishing, published in Outdoor Life in 1951. It quickly became apparent that here was an author worth reading, and eventually articles appeared in many of the leading publications, such as Sports Afield, Outdoor Life, Hunting, Guns and Ammo, Gray's Sporting Journal, Field and Stream. At the peak of his carrier he produced 100,000 words a month; his manuscripts were never rejected. He had the unique ability to put down on paper the first time what he wanted to say, with no revisions.
John was one of those rare writers who could produce technical articles as well as humorous and personal stories. His command of the English language, and his ability to express himself together with his sound knowledge of the material he presented, soon made him one of the top writers in the hunting and sportsman's field. He was famous for his research and never lost his interest for learning; he was a lifelong student of everything around him. A born naturalist, his book "Hunting Trophy Deer" became a classic that launched the whitetail craze as we know it today because he freely shared with the reader his observations and gave practical advice. He related to the common man and never put himself forward as the hero of the story. Five books in all flowed from his pen; about hunting, photographing wildlife, and hand loading.
He was also herpetologist, knife collector, a student of Texas history and an archeologist. Always a staunch defender of the Second Amendment, he served on the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association for a number of years. Demonstrating original thinking; he was an honorable, decent man, loyal to his friends and frequently stuck his neck out for causes he believed in.
Many aspiring writers were influenced by John; he was a mentor to the late Gary Sitton and Finn Aagaard; to Craig Boddington, Larry Weishun and Sheriff Jim Wilson, and probably many others. John was a Boy Scout leader and a role model for young people, willing to teach them the challenges and joys of the outdoors. He was a man among men.
During his last years he volunteered his writing skills to the West Kerr Current, a weekly local news paper. Here he enthusiastically poured out the stories never before told. This was happy work; you could feel his joy as he wrote; you could "smell the smoke from the fire". We will miss John, and his unwritten stories.
A memorial service will be held in the spring, exact information to be announced.
Memorials can be sent to NRA Foundation Endowment, Jeanne and John Wootters memorial gift in memory of John, 11250 Waples Mill Rd, Fairfax, VA 22030. Tel. 1-877 672 4483 or The John H. Wootters Crockett Public Library, 709 East Houston, Crockett, TX 75835, Tel. 1-936 544 3089, email: shofflib@crockettlibrary.com
The family invites you to leave a message or memory at www.kerrvillefuneralhometx.com Select obituaries, select "sign guestbook" at the top right of the individual memorial.