Music and Lutheran Faith come naturally to Jonathan “Jon” Pflueger, a Cantor, Lector and Baritone at Zion Lutheran.
The sound of music and word of the Lord were simply the ways of life for the Pflueger Family. Jon’s father, Robert, was a Lutheran Pastor at Zion Lutheran in Loudonville and Trinity Lutheran in Ashland for combined 33 years. Bob had an excellent voice, played piano and directed men’s choirs.
Jon’s mother Dorothy also sang well and played piano and organ. Jon’s grandfather Pflueger played church organ. Grandpa Walter Fritz, on his mother’s side, also was a Lutheran Pastor who preached twice on Sundays in English and German. Jon is the only child of Bob and Dorothy who did not achieve a College Music Degree from Capital University. Miriam lives near Thornville, Ohio, and Sara resides in Trumbull, CT.
A true Son of a Preacher Man, Jon says, “There was no getting away from either (music or church), I guess.”
Jon and wife Ginger, from Warwick, R.I., married in 1990 and moved to Loudonville in 1993. Jon is a 1980 graduate of Loudonville High School. Daughter Miriam, husband Garrett Stevenson and 7-monthold grandson Oliver live in Loveland, Ohio, near Cincinnati.
Son Daniel, a philosophy/theology graduate of Boston College, performed with his father at Zion Lutheran’s 2024 Christmas Eve Service. Dan is a classical guitarist and mandolinist, a studio musician for recordings in New York City. Dan works for a relocation agency in New Haven, CT, for refugees escaping war zones.
As Jon’s parents aged, and no longer could attend Sunday services, Jon and Ginger started looking for a new church home. Their search ended on Market Street in Wooster.
“Zion felt like home almost immediately. We were so welcomed,” Jon says. “The people, the music . . . it all felt right for us.”
The Pfluegers joined Zion in 2023.
Jon graduated from Miami University and Ohio State with a degree in optometry. He commutes to Columbus, working for Family First Vision Care.
As a child, Jon was nearsighted with a “lazy eye,” which resulted in frequent visits to the eye doctor. Again, optometry seemed to be another divine path in Jon’s life journey. “I found myself interested in the science and solving vision and health issues with eyes,” he says.
Jon played trumpet in a Loudonville Jazz Band, “Give Us Time,” for 6 years. His personal passion and escape today is woodworking, taught to him by his father and grandfather. His projects range from household (tables, cabinets, shelves) to, perhaps his favorite creation, a chopping block table made for Ginger.
On Sundays, Jon dons a Zion choir robe to sing and read scripture. “I think God surrounded me with pastors because he knew I needed all the help I could get,” Jon says with a soft chuckle. “Even though I was around church my whole life, like most of us, I did not understand it as a kid. Gradually it became meaningful to me.
“Hearing the Lord’s word and music are important to me. If I miss a Sunday, something’s wrong. I feel it.”