Jonathon Hitesman, a former Edgartown resident, died on Jan. 11 in Wellington, Fla. He was 66.

Jon was born on March 10, 1950, in Montreal, Quebec, to Walter and Betty Hitesman. The family later settled in Bedford, N.Y., as Walter maintained what would be a long career of senior level management positions at Reader’s Digest.

In the summer of 1950, the family purchased a home on Planting Field Way in Edgartown, which, along with the Vineyard itself, quickly became a cherished destination. Involvement followed in many Island organizations including the Edgartown Yacht Club, the Chappaquiddick Beach Club, the Edgartown Golf Club, where Walter served as president, and the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, whose original property bordered the family land.

Following his graduation from Washington and Jefferson College in 1973, Jon moved to Boston and pursued a career as an on-air personality broadcaster. He found work at several area radio stations over the next decade including WBZ, and mixed his lifelong appreciation of music and composition with a healthy dose of people relations and the art of sales.

In June 1982 Jon married Alison Leigh Smith at St. Andrew’s Church in Edgartown. Their son JP arrived in July 1984. With Alison having West Chop roots, the Vineyard continued to serve as a frequent family destination. Although Jon and Alison divorced in 1993, they remained amicable and kept JP’s interests at heart through continuing to reside on the North Shore of Boston and often traveling to the Vineyard.

Jon’s father Walter died in 1986 and his mother Betty followed in 1994, after which stewardship of the property in Edgartown passed to him. In 1998, Jon moved back to Edgartown full-time. Although he enjoyed an initial period of renewed involvement in the Island community, he found the winter season to be challenging, which contributed to his decision to sell the house in the fall of 1999. Though he only visited the Vineyard once more for a single day in 2003, he grew to re-appreciate the Island’s role in his life, with the help of his son JP, who continues to be involved with Island causes and activities in the present day.

Following his departure from Edgartown, Jon returned to Manchester by-the-Sea. In the mid 2000s, he re-engaged with the Boston area broadcasting community, which led to many guest appearances on WBZ’s Jordan Rich radio show, several area speaking engagements, and a reconnecting with Sandra Younts, a fellow broadcaster whom Jon had dated in the late 1970s.

Jon and Sandi married in December 2006, and initially divided their time between the North Shore and the Palm Beach region of Florida, while enjoying their shared interests and times together. In 2011, the couple settled in Florida permanently. Jon was able to continue his broadcasting pursuits by working with a local web-based radio station, eventually hosting his own show devoted to film music appreciation.

Jon is survived by his wife, Sandi, of Palm City, Fla., and his son, JP, of Grosse Pointe, Mich. His gentle spirit and demeanor will be missed by all who knew him.