Joe Bacon (jbwhttail)

[Hunt4Fun]

Arrangements are currently unknown but I wanted to let every know of Joe's passing. He was a legend in the Studebaker and Deer Hunting worlds, a great friend, and a kind soul. He will be greatly missed.

https://www.facebook.com/nancy.b acon.5

[mbstude]

I first met Joe while attending my first SDC National meet; South Bend in 2007. I was 17 years old.

My family and I stayed at a hotel on the north side of South Bend. The first night there, while strolling around the hotel parking lot to look for Studebakers, I saw a white '63 Daytona hardtop parked next to a two tone green '56 Golden Hawk, and a handful of people sitting in chairs between the two cars. I walked up, asked who owned the '63 Daytona, and went on about the one I was trying to fix up. The '56 Golden Hawk was the prettiest Hawk I'd ever seen... I learned that the colors were Glenbrook Green and Seaside Green, and that was the car's first show after a full restoration. The couple that owned it introduced themselves as Joe and Nancy Bacon. Every evening for the rest of the week, we all hung out in the parking lot, which ended up being one of my favorite parts of my first trip to South Bend.

That white Daytona hardtop was R2 powered, and it excited Joe enough that just as soon as the meet was over, he began looking for an R2 powered Daytona for himself. He found a nice restored one offered for sale by Freddy Freeman in Mississippi, and bought it. In the Spring of 2008, we hosted an SDC meet in Albany, Georgia. Joe and Nancy brought the '63 Daytona R2 down from Indy and let me take it out and burn the tires off of it. That was the first time I ever drove an R-series powered Stude. As a way to say "thanks" to Joe, I wrote a story about it for Turning Wheels, which led to Art Unger asking me to send in more stories.. It became a monthly thing and because of the parking lot BS sessions that began with Joe and Nancy, I named the column "Tailgating With Matthew".

One of the highlights of attending National meets in the following years was catching up with Joe and Nancy. At the meet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, he handed me the keys to the '56 Golden Hawk and let me drive it, by myself, from the hotel to the meet venue a few miles away on Show day. I was only 19 then, and I still can't believe he let me hit the road in that car without any "adult supervision".

Joe was always kind to me, and even though I was already well immersed in the hobby back then, he did a lot to sink the hook even deeper. I'm glad I got to know him.. He was one of the good guys.

[skyway]

Good story Matt!
RIP Joe.

[IndStudenut]

We are deeply saddened...... We joined the Indy chapter in 2021 because I had heard the national meet would be there that year. We wanted to join just to be a part of the meet and help how we could. Joe, Nancy , Larry and Sue Kennedy were organizing the event. Joe and Nancy were so welcoming and made us feel welcome from day one at the club gatherings to pull off the meet. I always looked up to Joe and his deep knowledge and judging of Studebakers and Hawks specifically. He will be deeply missed.

Rick and Laura Bowman

[LarkTruck]

May He Rest In Peace.

J & J Sinclair

[52 Ragtop]

May he rest in peace. Joe always went above and beyond when restoring both his & Nancys Hawks
He will be missed.

Jim & Jody Turner

[JoeHall]

I am sure gonna mis Joe, I thoroughly enjoyed every conversation with him, and looked forward to socializing with him and Nancy on the Stude circuit. Later, that included his son Tony and his wife. One of the nicest families I ever met. Sincere condolences, and I pray Joe Rest In Peace.

[8E45E]

Sorry to hear about this! I got to know him well at both South Bend and at MCACN in Chicago.

He will be missed by all of us in the Jet Thrust world!!

Craig

[Hunt4Fun]

Joe's obituary can be found at https://www.ghherrmann.com/obituarie...#/obituaryInfo