28/09/2022
Sad passing of John Howley.
Post from Yorkshire Athletics
I'm sure some of you will already know, but we heard the extremely sad news at the weekend that John Howley had passed away. He passed away on Saturday, 24th September, surrounded by his loving family.
Most Yorkshire track athletes will have had their performances timed by John at some point, he was a valuable member of our team of Yorkshire officials, and he was a dear friend to many of us as well, he will be very much missed by everyone.
It would be wrong to leave a description of his contribution to athletics at just timekeeping, because that’s a mere hint of his huge commitment to our sport. He began, as many of us did, as a parent of an athlete… Initially, because of his daughter Nina, he was involved with the Sheffield Race-Walking Club, then the Race-Walking Association as their Championship Secretary, and was also a Northern Area Representative.
John was instrumental in the formation of the City of Sheffield Athletics Club, when Sheffield Athletics Club and Sheffield Race Walking Club agreed to amalgamate and become the one club. With this move he became more involved in Track and Field and went on to become the Club Secretary and Northern League Team Manager… always with the full support of his brilliant family, with his wife, Hazel often providing the catering for officials.
In 2010 he helped found the Sheffield Festival of Athletics, this, alongside all of his other responsibilities within the sport! And he continued to work tirelessly, despite suffering increasingly serious health issues. Following major surgery in 2015 he returned to the sport and became busier than ever. In 2016 he organised the Sheffield Indoor Festival of Athletics, he even managed to organise the day and produce results, from his wheelchair, while recuperating. It was during his recovery time that he took the course in timekeeping. So, on top of everything he was already doing, he spent most weekends and some evenings, trackside, somewhere in the UK, with his stopwatch to hand as part of a timekeeping team.
He went on to become Membership Secretary and Treasurer for the re-formed 2Dash Athletics club, while continuing with the Sheffield Festival of Athletics and other events.
In 2018 he was awarded the England Athletics Award for ‘Services to Athletics or Running’ for the Yorkshire and Humberside region, and then went on to win the National award in the same category. A worthy and deserving recipient of both awards!
He was a member of the committee for the South Yorkshire Athletics Association, where he was responsible for the outdoor Track and Field League and Championships. He was also Secretary and Treasurer for the Sheffield Athletics Development Group.
His input into athletics was beyond measure really, and the breakdown above barely scratches the surface. He was a valuable and well-respected member of every event, team or committee he was a part of, throughout Yorkshire, Northern Athletics and Nationally. Of course, he will be missed partly because of that contribution, but he was a really good, kind man and he leaves a lot of friends behind, within in our sport. He was always a joy to work along side and he genuinely cared about athletes and their development, this was his driving force.
He couldn’t have done any of the things I’ve listed above without the outstanding support of his lovely family. He loved athletics, but his first and greatest love was his family, and their loss must be unimaginable. I hope they can take some comfort in knowing he made a huge difference to so many lives and he was very much appreciated, respected and loved for that. Thank you for sharing him with us. May he rest in peace now, as we send our love and best wishes to you, from all at Yorkshire County Athletics. 💙🤍💙🤍
