JanSport announced Wednesday that company co-founder and outdoor industry icon Skip Yowell passed away Octobwe 13 at his home in Kansas. He was 69 years old.
According to reports, Yowell lost a battle to an unspecified illness.
Yowell founded JanSport in Seattle in 1967 with his cousin, Murray Pletz, and Janice Lewis, a seamstress and Pletz’s wife. (The “Jan” in JanSport is derived from her name.) Yowell was involved with JanSport’s many product innovations, including the waist suspension flexible frame pack, travel packs and panel-load packs. In 1979 he became a charter board member of what became the Outdoor Industry Association. He retired from JanSport in 2010,　but continued to serve as a global ambassador for the brand and the outdoors.
“Skip was an inspiration to all – as an outdoor industry pioneer and leader of the JanSport brand,” said Steve Munn, President of JanSport. “He will be missed greatly.”
Funderal services are being arranged by Schmitt Funeral Home of Wakeeney, Kan.
