John E. Webster

JOHN E. “JACK” WEBSTER, age 74, of Finksburg, MD, died on June 30, 2007 at his home. Born in Baltimore, MD, he was the son of the late John Edgar and Madeline Cooper Flaharty Webster. Born and raised in Baltimore, Jack was always a “Ham”. He appeared on the earliest TV shows at WBAL-TV in 1949 as a comic. Upon his father’s retirement, the family moved back to their roots in Harford County. Jack then won the Southern States Talent Contest. Spurred by this achievement, he joined the Merchant Marines and sailed to and from Sweden. He joined the Air Force in 1952 and went to Korea and Japan during the “Police action”. He won the “Tops in Blue” talent contest and traveled with USO shows in the company of such notables as Walter Pidgeon and Jan Sterling. Upon returning to the U.S.A., he worked on various live TV shows, part time, while still in the service. On one occasion, he worked with Snooky Lanson of the old “Your Hit Parade” TV show. He left the Air Force in 1967, went to work for the Maryland National Guard and went back to active duty soon after; rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major, retiring after 32 years of government service in 1984. At this point he became associated with Bob Callahan, Inc. and started writing and producing TV commercials. He soon became well known locally as a multi-faceted character actor through his often silly portrayals of farmers, old ladies, etc. He soon joined AFTRA (American Federation of Television and Radio Artists). After working in many feature films as an extra, he was invited to join SAG (The Screen Actors Guild). One of his favorite moments was working in a scene opposite Jack Lemmon in the movie: “The Murder of Mary Phagan”. Jack was active in the Edgewood Lions Club, The Harford County Chamber of Commerce, and the 29th Division Association. He completed his education at the University of Maryland in Munich, Germany. He is also a graduate of the Career Academy of Broadcasting.

Mr. Webster is survived by his wife, Muriel Evelyn Wilhelm Webster of Finksburg, MD; three sons, Richard B. Webster of Street, MD, Scott B. Webster of Bel Air, MD, and Mark A. Webster of Street, MD; one daughter, Debra L. Davis of Jarrettsville, MD; one brother, Stephen F. Webster of Seattle, WA; one sister, Carole A. Neeper of Bel Air, MD; two step-sons, David Brent Wilhelm and Keith Wilhelm, both of Finksburg, MD; two step-daughters, Tina A. Cook of Houston, TX and Vanessa A. Wilhelm of Florida; six grandsons and five step-grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by a son, John E. Webster Jr.