Obituary of John E. Kasik

Dr. John E. Kasik, 87, former Chief of Staff at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Iowa City and Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Iowa, died Wednesday, December 31, 2014, from complications of Parkinson's disease. John E. Kasik was born August 9, 1927, in Chicago, the son of Joseph and Anna (Gilbertson) Kasik. He served in the United States Navy during WWII. He received his undergraduate degree from Roosevelt University Chicago in 1950. He received his M.D. from the University of Chicago in 1954, followed by a rotating internship and his residency in Internal Medicine. During a period of 12 years, he went from an instructor at the University of Chicago to Associate Professor. While teaching, he earned a Ph.D in pharmacology and was also a Fulbright Scholar at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology in Oxford, England. In the summer of 1963, he was one of seven volunteers selected by Care Medico to reestablish medical care in Algiers. In 1970 Dr. Kasik joined the University of Iowa to direct the Oakdale Tuberculosis Sanitarium. In 1980 he was appointed UI Associate Dean for Veterans Affairs and Chief of Staff at the Iowa City Veterans Administration Medical Center. One of the things he was most proud of was his involvement in the establishment of the respiratory therapy program through Kirkwood Community College. Throughout his professional career he has served and been elected to numerous boards and associations on a local, state, national and international levels; including the United States Adopted Names Council, American Medical Association, Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization. John met his wife Sherle in 1943 at Gage Park High in Chicago. He joined the US Navy in 1945 and they were married before he served in the Pacific. His family includes his wife, Sherle and their six children, Robert (deceased) his wife, Sheila; John W. (Renee), James (Carron Whitson), Alan, Susan Miller (Paul) and Peter (Lynn Worrell); 11 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. A dedicated and respected clinician, teacher, administrator and professional leader, John Kasik was well known and highly regarded for his love of history, his appetite for political biographies, his passion for British sports cars, trains, photography, his enthusiasm for both telling and hearing a good story, and his fondness for gardening and sharing his knowledge with the world. Sometimes blunt, always pragmatic, ever energetic and always in good humor, Dr. Kasik made an impact on many lives. Above all else, his ultimate love was time with his family on his farm and his wife Sherle, whom he cherished until the day he passed. Funeral services will be held at 10 am Tuesday, January 6, 2015, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Iowa City, with burial at the Newport Township Cemetery in rural Johnson County. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 pm Monday at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Memorial donations can be made in his memory to the Iowa Chapter of the American Parkinson's Disease Association (1200 Pleasant St, Des Moines, IA 50309), Iowa City Mercy Hospital Hospice or to the Respiratory Therapy Program through Kirkwood Community College. Online condolences can be sent for his family through the web @ www.gayandciha.com. Dr. Kasik's family would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to Stacy Pfeister, RN, and the staff at Mercy Hospital ICU, Respiratory Therapy and Hospice Unit.