This article memorializes forum members who have passed on. It is by no means a complete listing, simply because we don’t normally get input from the families of passed members. For that I apologize to the friends and family of all who deserve to be listed here but whose passing was unknown to the forum. If you have an addition to the list, please give the particulars to the forum manager, Mark Freburg, for inclusion. It will be our honor, although sad duty, to update the list as necessary.

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Elmer Johnston

Long time Firearms Forum member Elmer Johnston passed on October 3, 2024 at his home following extended health problems. He was 87 years old.

Elmer was one of a rare breed of machinists/gunsmiths who could recreate older firearms from patent drawings, or design new firearms like double barrel revolvers or golf ball guns from scratch. He made rifles, pistols, artillery pieces and multiple barrel devices, most of which he donated to the Miracle of America Museum in Montana, where they are displayed. He also had fun doing cosplays with his wife of various ethnic hunters.

He learned much of his knowledge of military weapons while serving as an armorer in the US Army as a young man. And he shared his knowledge of firearms for many years with his Forum friends, along with his goofy sense of humor. While not having a formal education, Elmer was an avid reader with a wide span of interests from Rudyard Kipling to many “classic gun magazine writers” like Elmer Keith.

He was active in his Methodist religion and mentored others. His friend Ken told of his activities in this regard, and showed a much gentler side of Elmer than he showed on the Forum. Ken and Elmer would meet for breakfast regularly and share their strong beliefs and efforts to become better human beings. Prior to his death, Elmer made arrangements with Ken to handle his estate.

Another close friend of Elmer's was the late Jim Wolford, a long time forum member and also a gunsmith.  Elmer and Jim used to share a table at large fraternal gun show where they displayed handmade firearms as well as dressed in period costumes.  Here is Elmer (left), with Jim at one of those shows:

Elmer had many long time friends in Mattawa, WA, including the local PD Sergeant Maybeline Pantaleone who said of Elmer: “I have known Elmer since 2007. He would come into City Hall and ask me to print pictures of firearm parts for him to build new ones. I was always amazed when he walked in to show us some of his latest creations. From the smallest firearm to a cane that transformed into a weapon, he had a remarkable ability to twist and turn everyday items into firearms. I remember one time when he asked me, "Do you know what you are protecting here?" while pointing to his large shop. He proudly displayed all of his firearms and was definitely pro-law enforcement. Overall, he was a great person, and he will be missed.”

Elmer described himself in his Forum Profile as “I am a dust bowl refugee. We came west to pick apples and took 50 years before I got home. I was a section chief in a heavy maintenance small arms section in the regular army. After that I spent 38 years on an apple orchard. Started at the bottom and ended up being the manager. Spent a few years doing pipeline welding. Now run a machine shop.”

And there was far more to Elmer than that! Rest in peace ol’ soljer.

by Harvey Goldman

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Jerry Webb

Jerry E. Webb II, 61, passed away on July 30th, 2024 at Tidewell Hospice House in Venice, Florida with his wife by his side. He fought a long 10 year battle of Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease. Born on March 18, 1963, in Delaware, Ohio, he was a dedicated servant to his community and a loving family man.

Jerry graduated from Buckeye Valley High School before joining the Army National Guard, where he served honorably. His commitment to service continued in his 28 year career with the Columbus Police Department. Over the years, he served on the Freeway Patrol Division, K-9 Unit, Intelligence Division, and Motorcycle Unit, and many special duty assignments. He was a pillar of strength and integrity in the force. His dry sense of humor was cherished by all who knew him, providing light and laughter in both good times and challenging ones.

Outside of his professional life, Jerry was a loving and devoted family man. His kindness, generosity, and unwavering support were felt by many, leaving a lasting impact on those fortunate enough to have known him. His personal interests included shooting, gunsmith, engaging in discussions on online firearm forums, and riding motorcycles. He touched many with his storytelling ability and artistic talents.

Jerry is survived by his wife of 26 years, Kristina (Kris) Webb; daughter, Kathryn (Katy) Wuethrich; step father, George Buckingham and sister, Lori Webb, niece Ivana Webb and many cousins, aunts & uncle. He was preceded in death by his mother, Peg Buckingham.

Jerry's life was marked by his unwavering dedication to his family, his faith, and his community. His legacy of service and love will be cherished and remembered by all who knew him. Rest in peace, Jerry. Your spirit, dedication, and humor will be forever remembered.

- by Katy Wuethrich (nee Webb)

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Herb Schlossberg

Herbert Schlossberg, PhD, passed away on May 31, 2019 at age 84 of pancreatic cancer.

Herb was more than just an active forum member.  He was one of the earliest members to join the Firearms Forum on April 3, 2000.  When he participated in discussions here, his hand had a leveling influence on our discussions. His contributions put some rigor into our arguments, forcing us to define our terms and not make unsupportable logical leaps. We profited from Herb's presence as well as enjoying his often humorous writing. Herb’s firearm interests varied from the Trapdoor Springfield to modern rifles but in his later years seemed to focus on handguns and handloading. He also enjoyed discussing military history with other members, and he was well-versed on the topic. Herb also wrote several articles for the forum showcasing his varied interests. He got together with other forum members to shoot whenever possible and was always gracious, warm, supportive, good company and a fine shot.

Herb Schlossberg was a Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a leading scholar on the relationship between Christianity and the societies in which it has existed. His most recent book, Conflict and Crisis in the Religious Life of Late Victorian England , examined the struggle between orthodoxy and liberalism in England during a crucial period of history. Herb has authored and edited a number of other books, and also was a U.S Army paratrooper, a fact that he was very proud of all his life. In addition Herb was a university history teacher, a Soviet military specialist at the CIA, a college dean, and a businessman. Herb received a B.A. from Bethel College, an M.A. from the University of Missouri, and an M.P.A. from American University. He completed his Ph.D. in European intellectual history at the University of Minnesota.

Herb leaves behind his wife, three children, nine grandchildren and a great-granddaughter he doted upon. He was an active contributor here until the cancer sapped his energy but even then Herb managed to check in with us once in a while. Herb will be missed.

-by Stu Wayne and Mark Freburg

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Darryl Rogers 

Darryl passed away on April 4th, 2016, after a long fight with cancer.  He was a gentle, loving honest man, who put family and friends first. He was humble and happy, never negative.  As a humble man of faith, Darryl always deferred to others needs before his own, and had nothing to prove: simply put, he put others before himself.

He loved shooting, and it was a family affair, witnessed by photos he uploaded of his wife, children, and grandchildren.  Darryl also loved fly-tying, and was a pro at it.  He also loved hunting and fishing.  A diverse man, Darryl always rooted for his St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Longhorns football team.  But mostly Darryl was our friend, and we will miss him.

In today's world, Darryl he was one of a kind: no ego, no agendas. I believe God took Darryl because Darryl was ready to go home.

--by Jerry Webb & Mark Freburg

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Mike Davies

Mike Davies passed away on January 10th, 2015.  A member since the forum’s inception in 2000, Mike was noted here for his devilish sense of humor and keen enjoyment of life. Firearms, motorcycling and family travel were all enjoyable pursuits for Mike and when he recounted his adventures, it was as though we were there to share the laughs right along with him.

Mike was proud of his British background. A veteran of the British Army, he had lived in Canada, England, New Zealand and Canada again. He delighted in ribbing us Americans about our out-sized -- to his British mind -- stature, appetites and regionalisms. We, in turn, kidded him mercilessly about his shorter stature and English background. With all the back-and-forth kidding, Mike never was anything but a gracious gentleman.

Jerry Webb wrote this upon hearing of Mike’s passing: “Mike was a larger than life fellow, to the extent his humor, opinions, and character stood out in a crowd. That was what I loved about Mike: he took no prisoners, and was unabashed about his beliefs and integrity. That may have bothered some, but I prefer a straight forward relationship without niceties... knowing the real man, and having a real friend. He was one of a kind, and I say that as a highest compliment I can give: there shall never be another like Mike.”

I couldn’t add a thing to that other than to say that,in all the spirited debate on the forum, I never heard Mike say anything in anger or deprecating another member. He is greatly missed.

--by Stu Wayne

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Melvyn D. Hoskin

Melvyn Dewey “Mel” Hoskin was born April 9, 1932 and passed away on December 11, 2013.  He joined the United States Marine Corps at a young age and served for more than 30 years achieving the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant.  Mel had been a shooter before joining the “Corps” but there is little doubt that he had ample opportunity to improve his marksmanship while serving.  He enjoyed shooting rifles from .17 HRM to .300 Weatherby off the bench in his back yard! These included a Remington Model 700 action built into a really accurate hunting rifle, chambered for 7mm WSM when that cartridge was first developed. 

Mel's service did not stop when he retired from the USMC as he was a volunteer fire fighter for as long as he could physically do the job.

Mel was an avid handloader and inveterate tinkerer, always trying to get the best performance from a rifle and handload.  He could frequently be found at his back-yard range testing rifles and handloads.  He kept meticulous records of what worked best, so that he could load more of those rounds for his son and grandchildren to shoot.  Mel also took it upon himself to handload practice ammunition for a local law enforcement agency. 

He loved to hunt and would always work up good handloads for that purpose.  Mel kept the spent cartridge case from each deer he took, tied to a tag recording the date and other information about the deer.  These were kept on a display board so that he could look back through the years and remember when, where and with what rifle/cartridge he had taken deer.

A devoted family man, Mel dearly loved his wife and children and, of course, the grandchildren.  Mel's son serves as a Brigadier General in the United States Army. 

Mel was a wonderful friend to many, always willing to share his knowledge and experience.  He is sorely missed by those who called him friend.

--by Dale Mullin

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Jim Wolford

Jim Wolford passed away on August 11, 2005.  Jim had been a forum member since its inception in 2000. Jim was trained as a watchmaker and brought that ability and mechanical understanding to the making of fine black powder firearms.  His in-depth knowledge was a deep well from which even our fine gunsmith/member Elmer Johnston drank. Many beautiful examples of Jim’s work still show in the forum photo gallery. There are 59 references to Jim in the forum archives, just about all of which speak to his ability as a craftsman and mentor to others here. As both a friend and resource, Jim’s passing was a great loss to us all.

by Stu Wayne

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