John Forrest Zietlow Jr. Summered on East Chop

John Forrest Zietlow Jr., known to all as Jack, died peacefully in Buffalo, N.Y., on Nov. 28 as a result of pneumonia. He was 91.

Jack was predeceased six years ago by his devoted wife, Francis Warner Armstrong Zietlow. They and their three children had summered on East Chop since 1952.

A native of South Dakota, Jack was the grandson of J.L.W. Zietlow, the pioneer who founded the Dakota Central Telephone Company. On his grandmother's side, he was descended from Harrises, Powells and Hewitts.

He was a 50-year Knight Mason.

When Jack sat on the front porch of his East Chop house he was a magnet for people of all ages, who came up to philosophize with him, turn over ideas and otherwise shoot the breeze.

He built three dories, one in the yard of his home in Buffalo, two on the Island. One of the latter he sold here, and it was beautiful to look at riding in the water of Oak Bluffs harbor. The dory he built in Buffalo he motored from the beginning of the Erie Canal in Tonawanda, N.Y., across the state to Albany, then down the Hudson River, through New York harbor to the Vineyard. This one he used here for short fishing jaunts. His grandson, Matthew, has strong and happy memories of going out in the dory with him.

Jack stayed here through the summer and into November. He was a voracious reader and a member of the Great Books Discussion Group. He used to attend the Mayhew lectures. He was an interesting and interested person.

Along with his wife, Frances, he was predeceased by two daughters, Dede and Julie. He is survived by a daughter and son in law, Marchy and John Bourden, and two grandchildren, Matthew and Hannah, of Beverly.