John "Jack" Cover

John (Jack) Franklin Cover, Jr., age 69, of Fallston, MD, passed away on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, in Bel Air, MD.

Jack was the son of the late John Franklin Cover, Sr. and Shirley Mae (Brewer) Cover. Jack was married to Carole Lynn (Scharp) Cover for 42 years, sharing a devoted and loving marriage. He is survived by his wife and his son, Zachary Cover; his sister, Susan Sarig; and his brothers, Jeffrey Cover and Joel Cover, Sr. He is also survived by nieces, Jennifer Gigliotti and Sarah Davis, and nephews, Joel Cover and Alek Cover.

Jack was born and raised in Baltimore, growing up in Hampden on West 35th Street. From an early age, he was interested in reptiles and amphibians, collecting local specimens near his home. His parents encouraged this interest, and soon his basement was home to various snakes, lizards, and even a caiman, which he kept for several years. Eventually, the caiman outgrew its enclosure, and Jack transported the animal to a reptile facility in Florida. Entering high school at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute in 1970, he soon joined the school’s Herpetology Club. On spring breaks and long weekends, Jack would travel with club members to North Carolina, Florida, and Texas, collecting and studying various reptiles and amphibians. Always thirsty for knowledge, he began to acquire books on his favorite subjects and eventually amassed quite an extensive library.

Jack attended Towson State University, where his interests were further enriched and enhanced. He enrolled in a herpetology course and extra credit studies taught by Dr. Don Forester, who became a good friend and eventually a neighbor in Fallston. He graduated from Towson University with a degree in Biology in 1979. Jack worked at a laboratory in Baltimore while attending college from 1975 till the early 80’s, extracting venom from snakes and other animals used in research and anti-venom serums. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Carole Scharp, and after college, were married on February 4, 1983. Soon after, he and Carole relocated to Fort Worth, Texas, and Jack began working as a keeper in the Fort Worth Zoo's reptile exhibit until 1987.

Jack was always interested in working at the National Aquarium since its opening in 1981 but needed job experience to be considered for a position. The keeper position gave him that experience, and Jack was hired as a herpetologist in 1987. He and Carole moved back to Maryland and settled in Harford County.

Jack soon became involved with creating many of the exhibits we see today at the Aquarium, such as the Amazon River Forest, Australia, Blacktip Reef, Living Seashore, Rainforest, and his last project, Harbor Wetlands. In conjunction with these projects, he travelled to Australia, Costa Rica, Panama, Suriname, and Venezuela to support conservation and study the various habitats of the wildlife living in those countries. It’s impossible to list here the many accomplishments from his 37-year career at the Aquarium. Just before retiring, the Aquarium highlighted Jack’s career in an article in their Watermarks magazine, dated November 12, 2024.

In addition to his volunteer work at Natural History Society of Maryland, Jack assisted in habitat restoration at Masonville Cove in Baltimore City and worked in bog turtle habitat restoration, maintenance, and population surveys with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. In 2007, he was instrumental in legally protecting Maryland’s state reptile, the diamondback terrapin, from commercial harvesting, coining the phrase, “You can’t have your state reptile and eat it too!” Most recently, he was working on box turtle habitat enrichment on the Fort McHenry peninsula by growing oak trees at home for future planting to provide other cover for the turtles.

A life gone too soon, Jack Cover will always be remembered as a kind and gentle soul who cared deeply about the environment. He was a conservationist and lived his life encouraging others to respect and appreciate our natural wonders. He was a true wildlife warrior, rebirthing habitats so the animals that lived there may return and flourish. We are all better people for having known him and he will be missed terribly.

Visitation will be held at Fallston United Methodist Church, 1509 Fallston Road, Fallston, MD on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at 10:00am, followed by a celebration of life service at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers, to honor Jack's memory, the Jack Cover Conservation Fund has been created by his family, in partnership with the Natural History Society of Maryland. Donations will be used to actively continue Jack's life work and passion in herpetological conservation. To donate to the fund, please click on this link:

Jack Cover Conservation Fund - The Natural History Society of Maryland

To honor Jack's memory, the Jack Cover Conservation Fund has been created by his family, in partnership with the Natural History Society of Maryland. Donations will be used to actively continue Jack's life work and passion in herpetological conservation.

https://link.edgepilot.com/s/c55059d2/QAmEORWLB0_jhB39xputFA?u=https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLA7KWNBV9CN5/checkout/L4AX3OWQTIXQA6S7GLN7AVCE

Celebration of Life service: Saturday, February 7 at 11:00am

Visitation: Saturday, February 7 at 10:00am

Both at:

Fallston United Methodist Church

1509 Fallston Road

Fallston, MD 21047