Jonathan M. Goward

Longtime Chatham resident Jon Goward passed away peacefully on May 1, 2026. He was born on April 26, 1941, to Ken and Virginia Goward and grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts with his siblings Joanne and Samuel. His father was a teacher and principal in the Lowell public schools until his untimely death in 1952. His mother later followed the same path and became a public school teacher herself. The family home was designed by celebrated Boston architect Royal Barry Will and became the subject of a cover story in “American Home” magazine in December 1941

Cape Cod became an important part of Jon's life early on. During the years of wartime gas rationing, the family traveled by train from Lowell to spend summers on the Cape. After the war, they made the trip by car and spent five summers hand-building a cottage in South Chatham, a bow-roof house The cottage remained a constant presence in his life and, many years later, became home again.

As a teenager in Chatham, Jon worked as a caddy at Chatham Bars Inn and later as a stable hand at the Melrose Inn in Harwich Port. He attended Oakland Elementary School, where his father had served as principal, followed by Moody Junior High School and Lowell High School, graduating in 1960.

Music entered his life early and never really left. Jon played trombone in the school band alongside his brother Sam. The band regularly performed at local Golden Gloves boxing matches, where the young musicians occasionally had to dodge blood, sweat, and even teeth flying from the ring. Unusual working conditions aside, those years began a lifelong relationship with music.

After graduating from Boston University in 1964 with a degree in philosophy, Jon found a profession well suited to both his imagination and his ear for language. He entered advertising as a copywriter with Liberty Mutual before moving to New York and joining Scali, McCabe & Sloves. His work there included national campaigns for clients such as Hebrew National and earned recognition within the advertising community.

In 1976 he returned to Massachusetts and later co-founded Clark Goward Fitts, an agency whose work received regional and national awards, including Hatch and Clio honors. In the mid-1980s he and his partner Jim Fitts also taught advertising and design as adjunct professors at Boston University.

Jon eventually returned to South Chatham and to the cottage his family had built decades earlier. There he established another advertising firm that grew successfully while allowing him to remain close to the place that had long mattered to him. His work included television campaigns for Christmas Tree Shops featuring the memorable "Don't You Just Love a Bargain?" jingle familiar to many New England viewers.

Later, he developed an interest in longer-form projects and filmmaking, producing documentaries and visual works that combined his interests in art, music, and storytelling.

In 1991, he married Carole Fraser and the two built a long and loving marriage founded on open communication, a commitment to a healthy lifestyle and personal growth. They became active in numerous groups for couples on Cape Cod and built a wide network of trusted friends.

Music continued to evolve alongside the rest of his life. He began adulthood devoted to jazz before embracing the rock music of the British Invasion. He played bass guitar with the Fabulous Wingtips, a band of fellow advertising professionals, and later with Smoke, which focused on original music. During the 1980s he developed an interest in Brian Eno's ambient music and began composing abstract pieces of his own. In later years he turned toward Americana, playing traditional instruments with the All Worn Out Jug Band, which performed throughout Cape Cod, including weddings and concerts on the Chatham bandstand.

Jon loved animals, sailing, and comedy with equal enthusiasm. He spent many hours sailing the family's catboat on Pleasant Bay with his beloved dog Nicky aboard. His taste in humor ranged from Laurel & Hardy to Jonathan Winters, Bob & Ray, Monty Python, the Firesign Theatre, and BBC comedies. Humor was also part of his everyday life; he brought it naturally into conversations with family, friends, and colleagues, often with a quick remark, a well-timed observation, or a smile that made people feel at ease.

Jon spent much of his life returning to places and interests that first captured him when he was young: Cape Cod, music, boats, dogs, and the pleasure of making things. He had a lasting curiosity about the world and a tendency to find fascination in both the unusual and the everyday.

Jon is survived by his wife Carole; his sister Joanne Crane; his brother Sam Goward; and his sons James and Chris Goward. He is also survived by his grandsons Sean and Owen Goward. His daughter Nancy Goward predeceased him on March 26, 2026. His children were born during his previous marriage to Mary Robinson (née Hayduk).

A memorial service will be held at Nickerson Funeral Home in Chatham, Massachusetts on June 6, 2026 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

The Hebrew National Campaign Jon worked on which won wide acclaim in the advertising trade and was featured on the cover of a New York Times Sunday Magazine feature on “New Improved Advertising!” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URfbjgnrYO0

One of many television advertisements Jon Goward shot and edited for the Christmas Tree Shop which featured his "Don't You Just Love a Bargain?" jingle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29_ryp3IaCU

A film jon Goward produced on the Provincetown artist community: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNX5ZhIqOrs

An ad campaign for Massachusetts Tourism encouraging people to visit the Cape through the use of quiet visuals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AIcXzYzvvU

A short feature on Habitat for Humanity's efforts to bring affordable housing to people on Cape Cod: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re1YAF75s_c

Additional short subjects, commercials and ambient videos featuring Jon's original music can be found on his official Youtube page which is linled here: https://www.youtube.com/@jgoward1

A Memorial Visitation will be held at Nickerson Funeral Home, 87 Crowell Road, Chatham, MA, on June 6, 2026, from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.