John R. Eaton

Nov. 3, 1924 – April 15, 2016

A memorial service for John R. Eaton, of Buffalo, a jazz musician and composer, was held last week. Mr. Eaton, who for many years played with notable performers of the 1940s and 1950s, died April 15 in Buffalo, following a long illness. He was 91.

Mr. Eaton's primary instrument was piano, but from time to time he doubled on guitar. The Bridgeport, Conn., native played throughout the United States, and was a frequent member of bands in New York, Atlantic City, Las Vegas and Miami in the days of barnstorming musicians. Mr. Eaton was called upon often for his skills as a studio musician and arranger, and composed music for a variety of occasions, including a promotional song in praise of Bridgeport and the score for an unpublished musical, "The Escalator." A play, "Bed and Breakfast," and the song "Butterfly" were two other noteworthy works.

He retired from the Round Hill Country Club in Greenwich, Conn., where he was the featured singer and pianist in the club's lounge for more than 10 years.

Jacqueline Platt, one of his daughters, brought Mr. Eaton to Buffalo last fall because his memory had begun to fade. They made the difficult decision together that he needed nursing home care, a decision outlined last December in a WNY Refresh cover story about caregiving.

Platt, a chaplain, described her father's service Tuesday at East End Baptist Tabernacle as a "going home service."

Mr. Eaton studied at the Julius Hartt School of Music in Hartford, and was enrolled in the master's program in music education at the University of Bridgeport. He promoted music in the middle and high schools as both an instructor and mentor to young local musicians.

He was a graduate of Warren Harding High School, Bridgeport, and was a World War II veteran of the U.S. Army. For many years, he was an avid golfer and a regular at the Fairchild-Wheeler Golf Course, Bridgeport.

In addition to his work as a musician, Mr. Eaton took a stand on a variety of cultural and social issues, variously serving for a time as a columnist for the New Haven Register and as the director of an anti-poverty program in Wayne County, N.Y. designed to assist migrant farm workers.

In addition to his daughter, he is survived by his wife, Selma Melvin Eaton; another daughter, Aurora Sneed; two sons, John and Thomas; a sister, Virginia Eaton Hamilton; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.