By Mark Zaborney
Blade Staff Writer
John F. MacDonald, a retired officer in the Naval Reserve who transformed the Sylvania Township feed store his in-laws founded into a retail and wholesale outlet for pet needs, died Wednesday in Ohio Living Swan Creek. He was 91.
He had coronavirus but was ill only a few days, granddaughter Shawna Hofmann said. Formerly of Sylvania Township, Mr. MacDonald and his wife, Patricia, moved from Springfield Township to Swan Creek several years ago.
Mr. MacDonald retired in the late 1990s when he sold Oaks Feed Co. to an employee, Kevin Sieja, who still operates the business.
His in-laws, Dorothy and Norman Pieplow, started what became the feed store more than 80 years ago by building coops and raising chickens, his wife told The Blade at her mother's death in 2001. Mrs. Pieplow sold the chickens and eggs - the chickens favored by an Ottawa Hills clientele "because they were so tasty," Mrs. MacDonald said in 2001.
After Mr. Pieplow left his warehouse job, they built a store on Central Avenue and stocked straw and livestock feed and sold chicks and ducklings from their hatchery. Mr. MacDonald joined the business in the 1950s, and he and his wife became owners in the mid-1960s.
"Everything they did was together," grandson Chad Thebeau said, "and he was always the one in charge."
As the area changed from rural to suburban, the feed store's customers increasingly had household pets, not livestock, to care for.
"He introduced the pet supply," his daughter Diana Shaw said.
Oaks carried pet food brands often recommended by veterinarians but only available at the time in specialty stores. Mr. MacDonald also made Oaks a wholesaler and delivered pet food and supplies to stores across northwest Ohio and in Indiana and Michigan.
"People will go without before they'll let their pets go without, and a lot of people buy pets when things are going bad for them," Mr. MacDonald told The Blade in 1985. "At least that's what I've been told, and it seems to be true."
The store had employees to wait on retail customers. Mr. MacDonald handled sales to business customers. The sign over the wholesale entrance said, "Oaks Feed & Pet Supply Co. Inc." He was a former president of the Pet Industry Distributors Association.
"He was achievement driven," daughter Diana said.
Born Oct. 8, 1930, to Zena and Herbert MacDonald, he was a 1948 graduate of the former Burnham High School in Sylvania, where he played trumpet in the band and was on the baseball team. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from the University of Toledo.
He was an Owens Corning Fiberglas payroll manager for about five years.
He started in the Naval Reserve after high school and trained for active duty. He was commissioned as an ensign in 1952 during two years of active duty and retired from the reserve in 1983 as a captain. He remained active through the 1990s with the Reserve Officers' Association, of which he was a former officer.
He was a former commander of the American Legion Toledo Post 335. He also was an active member of the Toledo Colony of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, his being Stephen and Giles Hopkins.
He was a 2014 inductee to the Sylvania Academic Excellence Foundation's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
He had a youthful spirit and liked family activities, granddaughter Shawna said. He took his grandchildren white water rafting. He coached American Legion baseball into his 80s. He and his wife traveled the world - Europe, Israel, New Zealand, Australia.
He could be stubborn.
"I think that was the military in him, and being a business owner, he was used to being listened to," she said.
Grandson Chad said: "He was typically quiet, until he decided something needed to be said, and when he said it, you listened."
Surviving are his wife, the former Patricia Ann Pieplow, whom he married Nov. 1, 1952; daughters, Pamela Forbush, Jacquelynn Pastorek, and Diana Shaw; eight grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Monday at Reeb Funeral Home, 5712 North Main Street, Sylvania, OH, where funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The family suggests tributes to the Westgate Chapel, where he was a member for more than 25 years.
Published by The Blade on Nov. 6, 2021.
Blade Staff Writer
John F. MacDonald, a retired officer in the Naval Reserve who transformed the Sylvania Township feed store his in-laws founded into a retail and wholesale outlet for pet needs, died Wednesday in Ohio Living Swan Creek. He was 91.
He had coronavirus but was ill only a few days, granddaughter Shawna Hofmann said. Formerly of Sylvania Township, Mr. MacDonald and his wife, Patricia, moved from Springfield Township to Swan Creek several years ago.
Mr. MacDonald retired in the late 1990s when he sold Oaks Feed Co. to an employee, Kevin Sieja, who still operates the business.
His in-laws, Dorothy and Norman Pieplow, started what became the feed store more than 80 years ago by building coops and raising chickens, his wife told The Blade at her mother's death in 2001. Mrs. Pieplow sold the chickens and eggs - the chickens favored by an Ottawa Hills clientele "because they were so tasty," Mrs. MacDonald said in 2001.
After Mr. Pieplow left his warehouse job, they built a store on Central Avenue and stocked straw and livestock feed and sold chicks and ducklings from their hatchery. Mr. MacDonald joined the business in the 1950s, and he and his wife became owners in the mid-1960s.
"Everything they did was together," grandson Chad Thebeau said, "and he was always the one in charge."
As the area changed from rural to suburban, the feed store's customers increasingly had household pets, not livestock, to care for.
"He introduced the pet supply," his daughter Diana Shaw said.
Oaks carried pet food brands often recommended by veterinarians but only available at the time in specialty stores. Mr. MacDonald also made Oaks a wholesaler and delivered pet food and supplies to stores across northwest Ohio and in Indiana and Michigan.
"People will go without before they'll let their pets go without, and a lot of people buy pets when things are going bad for them," Mr. MacDonald told The Blade in 1985. "At least that's what I've been told, and it seems to be true."
The store had employees to wait on retail customers. Mr. MacDonald handled sales to business customers. The sign over the wholesale entrance said, "Oaks Feed & Pet Supply Co. Inc." He was a former president of the Pet Industry Distributors Association.
"He was achievement driven," daughter Diana said.
Born Oct. 8, 1930, to Zena and Herbert MacDonald, he was a 1948 graduate of the former Burnham High School in Sylvania, where he played trumpet in the band and was on the baseball team. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from the University of Toledo.
He was an Owens Corning Fiberglas payroll manager for about five years.
He started in the Naval Reserve after high school and trained for active duty. He was commissioned as an ensign in 1952 during two years of active duty and retired from the reserve in 1983 as a captain. He remained active through the 1990s with the Reserve Officers' Association, of which he was a former officer.
He was a former commander of the American Legion Toledo Post 335. He also was an active member of the Toledo Colony of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, his being Stephen and Giles Hopkins.
He was a 2014 inductee to the Sylvania Academic Excellence Foundation's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
He had a youthful spirit and liked family activities, granddaughter Shawna said. He took his grandchildren white water rafting. He coached American Legion baseball into his 80s. He and his wife traveled the world - Europe, Israel, New Zealand, Australia.
He could be stubborn.
"I think that was the military in him, and being a business owner, he was used to being listened to," she said.
Grandson Chad said: "He was typically quiet, until he decided something needed to be said, and when he said it, you listened."
Surviving are his wife, the former Patricia Ann Pieplow, whom he married Nov. 1, 1952; daughters, Pamela Forbush, Jacquelynn Pastorek, and Diana Shaw; eight grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Monday at Reeb Funeral Home, 5712 North Main Street, Sylvania, OH, where funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The family suggests tributes to the Westgate Chapel, where he was a member for more than 25 years.
Published by The Blade on Nov. 6, 2021.
By Mark Zaborney
Blade Staff Writer
John F. MacDonald, a retired officer in the Naval Reserve who transformed the Sylvania Township feed store his in-laws founded into a retail and wholesale outlet for pet needs, died Wednesday in Ohio Living Swan Creek. He was 91.
He had coronavirus but was ill only a few days, granddaughter Shawna Hofmann said. Formerly of Sylvania Township, Mr. MacDonald and his wife, Patricia, moved from Springfield Township to Swan Creek several years ago.
Mr. MacDonald retired in the late 1990s when he sold Oaks Feed Co. to an employee, Kevin Sieja, who still operates the business.
His in-laws, Dorothy and Norman Pieplow, started what became the feed store more than 80 years ago by building coops and raising chickens, his wife told The Blade at her mother's death in 2001. Mrs. Pieplow sold the chickens and eggs - the chickens favored by an Ottawa Hills clientele "because they were so tasty," Mrs. MacDonald said in 2001.
After Mr. Pieplow left his warehouse job, they built a store on Central Avenue and stocked straw and livestock feed and sold chicks and ducklings from their hatchery. Mr. MacDonald joined the business in the 1950s, and he and his wife became owners in the mid-1960s.
"Everything they did was together," grandson Chad Thebeau said, "and he was always the one in charge."
As the area changed from rural to suburban, the feed store's customers increasingly had household pets, not livestock, to care for.
"He introduced the pet supply," his daughter Diana Shaw said.
Oaks carried pet food brands often recommended by veterinarians but only available at the time in specialty stores. Mr. MacDonald also made Oaks a wholesaler and delivered pet food and supplies to stores across northwest Ohio and in Indiana and Michigan.
"People will go without before they'll let their pets go without, and a lot of people buy pets when things are going bad for them," Mr. MacDonald told The Blade in 1985. "At least that's what I've been told, and it seems to be true."
The store had employees to wait on retail customers. Mr. MacDonald handled sales to business customers. The sign over the wholesale entrance said, "Oaks Feed & Pet Supply Co. Inc." He was a former president of the Pet Industry Distributors Association.
"He was achievement driven," daughter Diana said.
Born Oct. 8, 1930, to Zena and Herbert MacDonald, he was a 1948 graduate of the former Burnham High School in Sylvania, where he played trumpet in the band and was on the baseball team. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from the University of Toledo.
He was an Owens Corning Fiberglas payroll manager for about five years.
He started in the Naval Reserve after high school and trained for active duty. He was commissioned as an ensign in 1952 during two years of active duty and retired from the reserve in 1983 as a captain. He remained active through the 1990s with the Reserve Officers' Association, of which he was a former officer.
He was a former commander of the American Legion Toledo Post 335. He also was an active member of the Toledo Colony of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, his being Stephen and Giles Hopkins.
He was a 2014 inductee to the Sylvania Academic Excellence Foundation's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
He had a youthful spirit and liked family activities, granddaughter Shawna said. He took his grandchildren white water rafting. He coached American Legion baseball into his 80s. He and his wife traveled the world - Europe, Israel, New Zealand, Australia.
He could be stubborn.
"I think that was the military in him, and being a business owner, he was used to being listened to," she said.
Grandson Chad said: "He was typically quiet, until he decided something needed to be said, and when he said it, you listened."
Surviving are his wife, the former Patricia Ann Pieplow, whom he married Nov. 1, 1952; daughters, Pamela Forbush, Jacquelynn Pastorek, and Diana Shaw; eight grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Monday at Reeb Funeral Home, 5712 North Main Street, Sylvania, OH, where funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The family suggests tributes to the Westgate Chapel, where he was a member for more than 25 years.
Published by The Blade on Nov. 6, 2021.
Blade Staff Writer
John F. MacDonald, a retired officer in the Naval Reserve who transformed the Sylvania Township feed store his in-laws founded into a retail and wholesale outlet for pet needs, died Wednesday in Ohio Living Swan Creek. He was 91.
He had coronavirus but was ill only a few days, granddaughter Shawna Hofmann said. Formerly of Sylvania Township, Mr. MacDonald and his wife, Patricia, moved from Springfield Township to Swan Creek several years ago.
Mr. MacDonald retired in the late 1990s when he sold Oaks Feed Co. to an employee, Kevin Sieja, who still operates the business.
His in-laws, Dorothy and Norman Pieplow, started what became the feed store more than 80 years ago by building coops and raising chickens, his wife told The Blade at her mother's death in 2001. Mrs. Pieplow sold the chickens and eggs - the chickens favored by an Ottawa Hills clientele "because they were so tasty," Mrs. MacDonald said in 2001.
After Mr. Pieplow left his warehouse job, they built a store on Central Avenue and stocked straw and livestock feed and sold chicks and ducklings from their hatchery. Mr. MacDonald joined the business in the 1950s, and he and his wife became owners in the mid-1960s.
"Everything they did was together," grandson Chad Thebeau said, "and he was always the one in charge."
As the area changed from rural to suburban, the feed store's customers increasingly had household pets, not livestock, to care for.
"He introduced the pet supply," his daughter Diana Shaw said.
Oaks carried pet food brands often recommended by veterinarians but only available at the time in specialty stores. Mr. MacDonald also made Oaks a wholesaler and delivered pet food and supplies to stores across northwest Ohio and in Indiana and Michigan.
"People will go without before they'll let their pets go without, and a lot of people buy pets when things are going bad for them," Mr. MacDonald told The Blade in 1985. "At least that's what I've been told, and it seems to be true."
The store had employees to wait on retail customers. Mr. MacDonald handled sales to business customers. The sign over the wholesale entrance said, "Oaks Feed & Pet Supply Co. Inc." He was a former president of the Pet Industry Distributors Association.
"He was achievement driven," daughter Diana said.
Born Oct. 8, 1930, to Zena and Herbert MacDonald, he was a 1948 graduate of the former Burnham High School in Sylvania, where he played trumpet in the band and was on the baseball team. He received bachelor's and master's degrees in business administration from the University of Toledo.
He was an Owens Corning Fiberglas payroll manager for about five years.
He started in the Naval Reserve after high school and trained for active duty. He was commissioned as an ensign in 1952 during two years of active duty and retired from the reserve in 1983 as a captain. He remained active through the 1990s with the Reserve Officers' Association, of which he was a former officer.
He was a former commander of the American Legion Toledo Post 335. He also was an active member of the Toledo Colony of the Society of Mayflower Descendants, his being Stephen and Giles Hopkins.
He was a 2014 inductee to the Sylvania Academic Excellence Foundation's Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame.
He had a youthful spirit and liked family activities, granddaughter Shawna said. He took his grandchildren white water rafting. He coached American Legion baseball into his 80s. He and his wife traveled the world - Europe, Israel, New Zealand, Australia.
He could be stubborn.
"I think that was the military in him, and being a business owner, he was used to being listened to," she said.
Grandson Chad said: "He was typically quiet, until he decided something needed to be said, and when he said it, you listened."
Surviving are his wife, the former Patricia Ann Pieplow, whom he married Nov. 1, 1952; daughters, Pamela Forbush, Jacquelynn Pastorek, and Diana Shaw; eight grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be from 4-8 p.m. Monday at Reeb Funeral Home, 5712 North Main Street, Sylvania, OH, where funeral services will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The family suggests tributes to the Westgate Chapel, where he was a member for more than 25 years.
Published by The Blade on Nov. 6, 2021.
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