John Quick

John Arnold Quick
January 1, 1934 – August 23, 2018

John Arnold Quick of Deep Gap, NC died unexpectedly but peacefully surrounded by his 3 sons on Thursday August 23, 2018. He was 84.

John was born January 1, 1934 in Middletown, NY to Catherine and Thomas Quick. He was raised in the Village of Roscoe, NY on the banks of the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Rivers. He grew up overlooking the world famous Junction Pool and he and his brother Tom and sister Cathy enjoyed a childhood filled with hunting, fishing and camping and enjoying the small town life. John was on the Roscoe High School championship basketball team. While still In high school he and his brother Tom began working in the family business, Thomas Quick Lumber Company, where they learned the value of hard, physical work and a lifelong love of the lumber industry and woodworking.

As teenagers, John and his friends spent much of their time at the Langan family house on Tennanah Lake, just up the mountain from Roscoe. He met his future wife Kathryn (Tinky) Langan as a teenager in this idyllic setting.

John attended University of New Hampshire and graduated in 1956 with forestry degree. He joined the US Army in 1957 where he spent 2 years serving at Fort Knox and Fort Dix. John married his dream girl, Tinky, on November 29, 1958.

John and Kathryn lived in Roscoe, NY where John continued to work at Thomas Quick Lumber Company. They moved with their 3 young boys to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in where they stayed for one and a half years. The family has wonderful memories of that time on the island, and one of the many stories that came from that time involves a labor dispute by the locals, a short hostage situation involving his sons and TInky charging in on a jeep.

His business took the family Asheville, NC, Jamestown, NC and Greensboro, NC. John and business partner Alan Hart founded Ultraflex Corporation and Imports of High Point, supporting the furniture industry. When he sold the business in 2009 John kept his hand in the furniture supply import/export business. He loved to keep his mind and sales acumen active.

John and Tinky built their dream home in Birds’ Eye View in Deep Gap. A devout Catholic, John was a parishioner of St Elizabeth of the Hills in Boone, NC. He enjoyed the great outdoors, good food, wine and spirits; he was a mountain man who understood and embraced the finer things in life. His pilot’s license and escapades are the source of many stories. An avid dancer, John would dance the jitterbug with a partner no matter what the music style. John stayed active all of his life, with many adventures with his sons, brother, nephews, nieces and grandsons, including a canoe trip up a river in the Adirondacks to find buried treasure left by his father 50 years before. He explored Alaska, the Sierra Nevadas in California and he and his sons took a horse trek trip in the wilderness of British Columbia. He traveled all over the world for business and pleasure and was glad to visit Cuba multiple times, the last time to see the Pope in 2012.

The most important thing to John throughout his life was his family and friends, and John “Big Q” never met a stranger. He was a generous man with a deep peace and joy for life. Those he loved were reminded of his affection regularly. His departure from this world to the Heavenly Kingdom leaves a giant hole in the lives of everyone who knew him. We rejoice that he is reunited with his love, Tinky, and the scores of loved ones who went before.

Predeceased by his wife, Kathryn Langan Quick, John is survived by sons John (Michelle) of San Rafael, CA; Kevin (partner Pam Poppenhagen) of Boone, NC; Joe (Robin) of Mt Pleasant, SC. His pride and joy were his grandsons, Sean Quick of San Rafael, CA; James Quick of LA; Ryan and Brady Quick of Mt Pleasant, SC; Brother Tom (Joanne) Quick of St Augustine; a sister Cathy Rice of Hooksett, NH, many beloved nieces, nephews and friends.

Donations in honor of John Quick may be sent to Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department, Station 23, 6583 Old 421 South, Deep Gap, NC, 28618. The Quick family owes a debt of gratitude to the Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department as they saved the mountain house from a forest fire in 1991.

The visitation will be held on Monday, August 27 and the Austin and Barnes Funeral Home in Boone. The funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, August 28 at 1 pm a St. Elizabeth of the Hills Catholic Church in Boone.