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John Kammerer
1954 - 2022
John Kammerer, 67, passed away at his home on February 26th, 2022; A 5th generation California Bay Area Native, son of John Henry and Doris Kammerer, brother to Diane Dye and Linda Belding, husband to Jill Kammerer, and father to John, Jessica, and Joseph Kammerer.
John was introduced to Falconry some time in the early 1970s while still in high school in Concord, California. An avid learner, he scoured texts and looked to friends for any falconry knowledge he could get his hands on. Wally Imfeld, the boyfriend of John’s neighbor Judi became a fast friend and falconry mentor. Quickly thereafter, John trapped and trained his first hawk, beginning a lifetime of enthusiastic interest in Hawking.
Alongside local friends Hank and Denny, John trapped, trained, and traded many birds and bird species including Cooper’s hawks, American Kestrel, Sharp Shinned, Red Tailed, and a Goshawk, and even a Great Horned Owl; finally settling into training Harris’s Hawks. Learning how to make jesses, lanyards, and hoods quickly became a hobby as he made new equipment for every bird he had the pleasure of working with. John had a real knack for turning materials into a finished product whether it was related to falconry or woodworking and DIY projects. Later in life, after his last bird was gone, and his children fledged, John took to creating American Kestrel habitat in the tall Deodar Cedar that shaded his and Jill’s yard. He watched several eyasas fledge from that tree and had hopes to eventually take one to fly against the invasive starlings.
John L. Kammerer dedicated his life to his family, Hawking, and perfecting his craft in the lumber industry at Golden State Lumber in California. Both a teacher and student in everything he did, John was a mentor, master falconer, father, brother and Husband.
Donations for John Kammerer's plaque made by: Walter Imfeld I, Sheldon Nicole, and Michael S. Host
