Date de Décès: 2008-01-22
Date de Parution: 2008-02-01
Source: Telegraph Journal, St. John, NB
ASIMAKOS, JOHN PETER - beloved husband, father, and grandfather, age 72, died on Tuesday, January 22nd, in the palliative care unit of the Sackville Memorial Hospital. He will be greatly missed by his wife and partner, Linda Rae Dornan; and his children, Peter (Beth), Seth (Brandi) and Arielle (David); and grandchildren, Gavin, Caelan, Caroline, Simon, John, Aidan, and Christian. He is predeceased by his parents, Peter and Catherine (Angelopoulos); sister, Blossom; brother, Peter; and cousin, Chili (Nearhos). He is also survived by his first wife, Dyana (Dreisbach). John was born in Boston, Massachusetts on April 24th, 1935. He was trained from a young age as a singer and was recruited to sing at the Metropolitan Opera but chose to be a painter. He served in the US Army and was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany as an artist in "Special Services" from 1955 to 1957. He studied at the Museum School of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, graduating in 1960, and subsequently teaching at the De Cordova Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum School of Fine Arts. In 1965, he and his family moved to Halifax where he taught at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. In 1973 the family moved to Sackville where John began teaching in the Fine Arts Department at Mount Allison University in Sackville. Besides teaching, John was also a natural athlete who loved to skate and to play tennis both competitively and with family. In 1994 John was diagnosed with dementia (Picks Disease) and was forced to retire. John led a creative and active life, and even with his disease enlivened many events at home and in the community with his singing and desire to communicate. Community members welcomed John everywhere he went. Picks Disease finally forced John to enter the hospital on Friday, January 18th. He never regained consciousness. There will be a memorial service at the Owens Art Gallery on the Mount Allison University campus on Sunday, February 3rd, at 1:00 pm. Those who knew John are invited to write a special memory of him on paper or in an email (lrdornan@nb.sympatico.ca), to be posted in the Gallery and shared. The family asks that donations be made in lieu of flowers, to the John P. Asimakos Painting Award which is given annually to a third or fourth year painting student. These can be sent to Mount Allison University External Relations Department 82A York Street, Sackville, NB E4L 1G2 or go online at www.mta.ca/giving/annualfund/donateannualform.php. February 01, 2008