Birth date: Nov 5, 1937 Death date: Feb 29, 2024
John Charles “JC” Howe, age 86, of Spring Lake passed away Thursday, February 29, 2024, at home. He was born November 5, 1937, in Grand Haven, MI to William Edward and Elvira Susan (Becker) Howe. He married Claudia Baldus on Octob Read Obituary
"Good night sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy rest"
One of the greats from my High School days. JC was the one to introduce me to the world of professional theatre. He connected me with Cherry County Playhouse and my first professional gig as Toto's wrangler for The Wizard of Oz, starting Kate Reinders (David Alpert as a munchkin) and Captain Kangaroo.
He was the first Creative Director at the Performing Arts Center in the Grand Haven High School where Jared Cramer and I worked many days, nights, weekends and beyond learning from JC. We made him hats that said "PAC MAN", and hats for ourselves that said "PAC BOY", to us, a mentor, he was the GOAT, the one that had such patience, kindness and professionalism above all.
He was a shining light for so many people, shows and productions. He had a Grammy Nomination for his work as a voice actor. I was honored to have him as a teacher, mentor, coach and friend.
Cheers to you JC. Thank you for all the memories. May your light shine above us all once again.
Sending my deepest condolences to his family. What an amazing gift he was to so many.
Awww JC... you are my inspiration, a lifelong friend, and without doubt the most talented theatrical actor, director, scenographer, and scenic artist I have ever known. I remember when we first met during my Grand Haven school years with Query, and also our memories together with CPP & MCT community theatres, and also during my years directing & producing shows at Muskegon Catholic Central. You were always there for me J. Loved, loved working on Nuncrackers with you for the GHHS-PAC Fundraiser. A special memory!!
JC I hope you know that it was your and Query's encouragement that motivated me to pursue and attain my Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre Arts from University of Waterloo, near Stratford, Canada.
I will always remember JC's generosity with his time throughout my WM theatrical endeavors. All I had to do was call him up and ask for help, and he would show up for the entire day to paint (he was an AMAZING scenic artist), or help me with whatever I needed, no matter how long it took. JC was truly a Master Thespian in West Michigan, and he will be missed.
Claudia, my heart goes out to you and I offer and send prayers, love, positive waves of healing and hope to you and your entire family. While we know JC loved the theatre to be sure, when he would start talking about his kids and grandkids, and you Claud, it was obvious where is true love and passion lay. I will miss the Christmas parties. 💕💕 💕🎭🙏🏻💕🙏🏻🎭💕🙏🏻🎭
And finally JC I want to leave you with a quote from one of my favorite movies, that goes like this: "There is a saying that a man dies twice. The first time when the breath leaves his body. And the second time, when the last person who has ever known him mentions his name." The name John "JC" Howe will long be voiced as the stories of your love, faith, incredible talent and kindness remain with us forever. Good bye for now my friend. I love you and will miss you until my entrance onto the eternal stage. Help me make sure I'm not late or too early for my entrance cue buddy. :two_hearts::performing_arts:🥲🥲🥲 I love you!
