John (“Jack”) Watson Braitmayer, of Marion, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on Friday, July 14, 2023. Jack was born in Ridgewood, NJ to Otto E. Braitmayer and Marian Schoeffel Braitmayer on February 2, 1930 and grew up in Marion alongside his twin sister Anne.
He was a graduate of Tabor Academy and Wesleyan University. He was working at IBM when he met a young woman named Nancy Foshay who would soon become his wife of 66 years.
Jack had a fulfilling and impactful career as the President and owner of MONA Industries in Paterson, NJ. He and Nancy raised their three children living in Darien, CT and spending summers in Jack’s beloved Marion, MA.
Jack was always active in his local community. His generosity towards his favored institutions is legendary. He took on trustee positions at both of his alma maters and was a tireless supporter of the New Bedford Whaling Museum. He always said that his first visit to the Whaling Museum at 10 years old changed his life forever. The NBWM held a very dear place in his heart.
He had a giving and inclusive nature that brought out the best in people around him. He had a wry sense of humor and a twinkle in his eye that lit up any room. He was maniacally positive. Very few lived closer to the objective to say something nice or say nothing at all.
But you can’t write about Jack without talking about sailing and boating. A lifelong sailor, Jack was well known for his pride in his boats, his technical prowess on the water, his enthusiasm for encouraging non-professional sailors to safely find the joy in offshore sailing and deeply held belief that nothing in life is better than messing about in boats. He had a series of sailboats that progressively got larger, some built to his exact specifications. He raised his three children to think that a sunny day just called for a picnic lunch and a sail and that all families took vacations by cruising New England coastal waters. He and Nancy ultimately shifted to powerboating to experience more distant harbors and get there quicker, but Jack was always truly a sailor at heart.
Jack was a stalwart supporter of institutions that supported his love for the seas. He was a leading advocate for the sail training program at Tabor Academy. He was a former commodore of the Beverly Yacht Club and was also a member of the New York Yacht Club, the Cruising Club of America, and the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club in Bermuda.
Jack is survived by the love of his life, Nancy, and his three children Karen Braitmayer (David Erskine), Kristina Hewey (Bo) and Eric Braitmayer (Jack Haney); three grandchildren, Anina Hewey (Roger Hernandez-Lanuza), Mary Hewey (Jen Bagley), and Anita Erskine; two great-grandchildren, Emilia Hernandez-Hewey and Enzo Hernandez-Hewey. Jack was predeceased by his twin, Anne B. Webb, and his four older sisters Margaret Braitmayer West, Kathleen Braitmayer Shaw, Josephine Braitmayer Demarest and Jane Braitmayer Howell Smithers.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Nancy & Jack Braitmayer Fund for Innovative Educational Excellence at the Southcoast Community Foundation (www.southcoastcf.org). A service to celebrate Jack’s life will be at a future date. Arrangements are by the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Mattapoisett. For online condolence book, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.
