John T. Hughes Jr. died Wednesday, Oct. 31 at Hope Hospice in Sandwich.

Jack, as he was called, was born on April 10, 1951, at the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital to John T. Hughes and the late Virginia S. Hughes.

Jack loved the natural beauty of the Vineyard. He had special places all over the Island. He would jump off the drawbridge in the summer, ice skate in the winter and go coasting in Cat Hollow with family and friends. He went duck hunting with his father at Pohogonot. He took his kids to many of these special places, including Mill Pond where he would make them fishing poles with scraps of wood to catch the small fish that were stocked there.

Jack invited friends in hard times to the family table for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. His son, Oliver, attributes his own good nature to learning from his father’s example.

In his early days of carpentry, he worked with Marc Pelletier and his crew. He moved over to John Early’s company and worked with a great crew of craftsmen for many years. He took great pride in his work and appreciated the artistry and craftsmanship of others.

His many years on John Early’s crew took him to job sites with spectacular views including Squibnocket and locations along Vineyard Sound. He loved exploring the shore, looking for sharks teeth, arrowheads, and beach glass. He loved watching the birds, whether in the woods or over the water. He was an observant naturalist. He watched a family of woodcock cross a dirt road on Chappy and entertained friends by demonstrating just how the woodcock moved. He enjoyed playing on the varsity basketball team in high school. There were also decades of intense pool and dart games and the ongoing low stakes card games. He taught his kids cribbage but never gave them a mulligan and gave them pool lessons at the PA Club.

The last sport Jack played was golf, a game he excelled at and enjoyed. He had an Island membership at Farm Neck and frequently enjoyed playing with his mother and father.

As his health deteriorated, he lost his ability to walk the beaches and the edges of the ponds and to explore the woods, but he still made daily drives to East Chop to watch the ocean and listen to the waves.

He is survived by his children, Kate, Oliver and Tom Hughes; his father John, and his sisters Pat and Sally Hughes and Ellen Gallagher.

A potluck celebration of his life will take place on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 12:30 p.m. at the PA Club.

Donations in Jack’s memory can be made to the Holy Ghost Association, Box 2203 Oak Bluffs, MA 02557 or to Hope Hospice, 73 Service Road, East Sandwich, Mass. 03537.