John R. Mann Jr.

1930 - 2020

Dr. John "Jack" Russell Mann, Jr., longtime Brattleboro dentist and community leader, died peacefully of natural causes on Thursday morning, May 21, at his home in Florida. He was 90 years old.

Dr. Mann's dental career spanned more than 40 years. Born March 26, 1930, in Brattleboro, to John R. and Pauline Shaw Mann at their home on Washington Street, his mother recalled hearing the noontime whistle at the Estey Organ Factory announcing his arrival.

Soon after his birth, his family moved to his childhood home on the corner of Spruce Street, next to his Grandmother Mann's home on Western Avenue. He attended Green Street school and enjoyed playing in and around the neighborhood with his "Spruce Street Gang" of friends. He also had fond memories from that time of being at his Gram's house, sitting in the rocking chair in her kitchen.

A proud 7th-generation Vermonter, he graduated from Brattleboro High School in 1948. He then attended Middlebury College, where he excelled in mathematics and physics, completing his undergraduate degree in three years, going on to dental school at the University of Pennsylvania, and concluding a surgical internship at Episcopal Hospital in Philadelphia.

In 1955, he joined the Army Dental Corps. Upon his return from service in Korea, he began his dental career in Brattleboro, founding his practice on High Street in 1958. He was well respected as a skilled dentist with a gentle chairside manner. He often put his patients at ease with his sense of humor.

During this time, Dr. Mann was very active in professional associations, serving as Treasurer and then President of the Vermont Dental Society, Secretary and then President of the New England Dental Society, President of the New England Foundation for Continuing Education, President of the Vermont Chapter of the Academy of General Dentistry, as well as additional leadership roles and memberships in several other professional societies. He also served as a member and chairman of the board of Delta Dental of Vermont and Northeast Delta for more than 20 years.

He earned numerous recognitions for his work, including the first Fellowship to the Academy of General Dentistry earned in Vermont. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Vermont Dental Society, was elected to the Pierre Fauchard Society, and was a fellow of the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists.

Dr. Mann served as a member of the Board of Directors of First Vermont Bank for 25 years, and chaired its Audit Committee for 15 years. He was also active in local organizations as President of the Community Chest, Chairman of the March of Dimes, a member of the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital finance committee, a Cub Scout leader, and as an enthusiastic member of his BHS alumni class.

He was a life member of the Brattleboro Lodge No. 102 of the Free and Accepted Masons and a past Grand Master and District Grand Master. He was first initiated in 1951, became a Master Mason, and earned the degrees of all York Rite Bodies.

A lifelong member of Centre Congregational Church, at the time of his death, he was its longest-term parishioner, as were his parents and grandparents before him.

As a young man, he learned to sail on Spofford Lake, and he and his brother Kim went on to race Lightnings with Fred Harris, an experience that he recalled fondly. He was an avid skier, from his early days on the BHS ski team to later ski adventures that included heliskiing in the Bugaboos and numerous trips to the Alps.

In 1963, he married Mary Wheeler of Brattleboro with whom he had three children, Melissa, Christopher and Jessica. A loving father, his children were a priority in his life, and he took them for annual trips to the seacoast in Maine, where they climbed on the rocks, and to The Balsams in New Hampshire, where they skied to their hearts' content.

He developed an interest in SCUBA diving, earning numerous certifications and enjoying dive trips throughout the Caribbean. Underwater photography became a new aspect of his lifelong passion for photography. He shared his love of the underwater world with his children, inviting them to join him on dive trips.

He relished the pursuit of knowledge, and enjoyed reading vast history books. He was also fascinated by astronomy and space technology. He cherished his home state of Vermont, his Vermont ancestry, and the lives of his family members before him.

Later in life, he married Bea Ziegler, the two shared a deep love and mutual admiration. Together they enjoyed worldwide travel, jazz music, and lifelong learning. They became involved with the Brattleboro Sunrise Rotary and Rotary International, and hosted students from Russia and Japan. They delighted in entertaining at their home on Laurel Ledges in Vernon, and also enjoyed spending time in St. Martin and Florida.

Following the passing of his wife Bea in 2007, his travels and adventures slowed a bit. His vision declined, presenting additional challenges to the natural aging process. Yet he handled these with grace, maintaining his positive attitude and great sense of humor, as well as his kindness and generosity of spirit. These characteristics will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

He is predeceased by his younger brother Kim, and survived by his three children, Melissa Mann Scholz of Halver, Germany, Christopher Mann of Stratton, VT, and Jessica Mann of Delray Beach, FL; stepsons Ward Mann of Leicester, VT, and Philip Mann of South Newfane, VT; stepdaughter Christine Ziegler Ulsh of Fleetwood, PA, and 10 grandchildren.

"Look not mournfully into the past, it comes not back again. Wisely improve the present, it is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future without fear." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A private graveside service will take place at Morningside Cemetery on Thursday at 1pm. A memorial service is anticipated at a later date. Arrangements are under the direction of Ataminiuk Funeral Home. To sign an online register book or send messages of e-condolence to the family, please visit www.ataminiuk.com.

Memorial contributions for the benefit of the local community may be made to "The Book of Remembrance," Centre Congregational Church, 193 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT 05301.