John E. “Jack” Slack, Jr., 76, of Salem, passed away on Monday after an extended battle with cancer. He was the husband of Virginia Cable (Lee) Slack.
Jack was the son of the late John E. Slack, Sr., and the late Mildred F. (McInis) Slack. He was born in Ancon in the Canal Zone while his father was working in Panama. Upon returning to Massachusetts during the Depression, he lived in the Boston area in Milton and Brighton and was a graduate of Boston Latin High School.
After graduating, Jack enlisted in the United States Air Force and served honorably in Seoul during the Korean War. After returning from war, he got an Associates Degree in Engineering from Boston University. He subsequently worked on the Jupiter missile program in Turkey and Italy.
Later in life, Jack changed professions and entered the world of finance. He became a stockbroker and a business journalist. He wrote for the Boston Business Journal and the Boston Herald, and was a radio personality on WBZ and WEEI. He interviewed important figures of the day including President Ronald Reagan. In the 1980s, he hosted a Sunday morning talk show as WEEI’s Business Editor prior to the station’s change to an all-sports format.
After retiring from the media, Jack worked as the accounts manager for the Learning Tree Store in Danvers and Stoneham. He was also very active in the Catholic Church. He became a Eucharistic minister and volunteered at Shaughnessy-Kaplan Rehabilitation Hospital in Salem. He also served as associate director of the North Shore Christian Network, helped run Alpha courses on the North Shore, and supported the efforts of St. Joseph Food Pantry in Salem.
Jack is survived by his daughters Ann Gold of Acton; Paula Slack of Marblehead; Maura Madden of Newton; Shawna Slack-Watkins, who currently lives in Switzerland; and son Eric Slack of Beverly. He also leaves behind five grandchildren and a large extended family.
Friends and families are invited to a celebration of his life with a Memorial Mass at Immaculate Conception, 15 Hawthorne Blvd. in Salem, on Friday, November 23 at 10 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to either the St. Joseph Food Pantry, 15 Hawthorne Blvd. in Salem, or Hospice of the North Shore, 10 Elm St. in Danvers.