John Sharman Zinsser Jr.

CORNWALL — John Sharman Zinsser Jr. died on May 27, 2008.  

Witty, dear, deep and kind beyond kind, Johnny was a person of indelible charm, subtlety of mind and effortless elegance, wisdom and generosity.  

He was the beloved husband of Anne, father of David and Nina Zinsser, Stephen Wadsworth Zinsser and Amanda Moffat, and much much more than a stepfather to Peter and Olga von Ziegesar, Lisa Whip, Sondra, Anne and Ward Appleby and Kate Lamdin.  

John’s delicious humor and inexhaustible welcome brought their families, including 13 grandchildren, and hundreds of friends into his circle of adoring fans. He was a parent of epic patience and compassion.

As an editor of Condensed Books at Reader’s Digest, and ultimately editor-in-chief, he was for many years one of the best loved men (and best luncheon dates) in publishing.  A keen editor, he was first liaison between the home office and offices worldwide, then between the Digest and the New York publishing world as vice president in charge of rights.  

Before and after retiring he brought all his tact, taste and clarity of mind to many organizations as a volunteer, including the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, the Connecticut Humanities Council, the Cornwall Library, the Cornwall Energy Task Force and the Century Club.

He was a voracious reader, a writer of warm, vivid letters, a lover of opera, a busy green thumb and an expert tennis player, but mostly it was people he loved—their stories, their interests, their travails, their triumphs.  

Johnny, Daddy, you leave us no choice but to delight in what you gave us.

The service will be held at the United Church of Christ on Bolton Hill Road in Cornwall Village at 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 21. A reception will follow at the library across the Green.

In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to The Southern Poverty Law Center, splcenter.org.

Arrangements are under the care of the Kenny Funeral Home in  Sharon.