John Henry Eldred

On May 27 at 9am, John Henry Eldred Jr died. Born on July 26, 1947, in Galion, OH to John H. and Dorothy (Kyler) Eldred, his life was a great adventure. He lived in many places during his youth and childhood. He believed that his childhood shaped the man he became. An astute businessman, John was a man who valued hard work, treating others with respect, and being on time. While living in southern California in the 1960s, John met his first wife, Joyce Micochero, while they both worked at the first Taco Bell. Joyce and John moved to Ohio in 1968. Together, John and Joyce had two sons, John Henry Eldred III and James Bradley Eldred. After working in a variety of sales positions, including shoes, toys, and wine, John joined his desire to be his own boss with a lifelong love of movies by opening his first video store, Sights & Sounds Home Video on Laskey Rd, in 1983. When a friend suggested that he should sell the store’s used movies to libraries, the Midwest Tape Company was born. Over the course of the next 30 years, John and his business partner Jeff Jankowski built Midwest Tape into a successful international media distribution company specializing in serving more than 8,000 libraries. The pair would go on to create Dreamscape Media, an award-winning publishing and media distribution company dedicated to producing audiobooks, video, and eBooks. They later launched hoopla Digital, which has become the leading all-in-one media service for public libraries offering eBooks, audiobooks, movies, music, comics, and television to millions of library patrons. In 1999, John married Margaret (Gray) Eldred, bringing her and her children Kate Marie (Krisjanis) Blake and Karlis Krisjanis into his family. John loved driving for the pure joy of it. The call of the open road led him to discover southern Utah, where he embarked on many western adventures. Margaret and John traveled the world together, seeking out the road less traveled. One of John’s biggest passions was designing and building houses. Working with his friends Jamie Leahey and Dwayne Robinson, he prided himself on making houses that weren’t just places to live, but warm and and inviting homes where everyone felt welcome. John was also fond of taking long walks on the beach, playing with his dogs, and sitting down for a game of pinochle with his sister Patricia Fleenor and her husband Fred. For John, nothing was more important than staying close to friends and family. In recent years, he especially enjoyed the time he spent with his grandchildren: TJ, Darren, Maggie, Gretchen, Ben, Kenny, and Brielle. John was preceded in death by both parents and his brother Charles. Surviving are his wife Margaret; sister Patricia (Fred); children John (Brandy), Kate (Erik), James (Norio), and Karlis (Danya); and countless friends and colleagues. A celebration of John’s life will be held at the Main Branch of the Toledo Lucas County Public Library (325 Michigan St) on June 12 from 6 to 8pm. In lieu of flowers or donations, if you want to honor John’s legacy, purchase a book or a movie for a loved one and enjoy it together.