Dr. John Kasik

DR. JOHN KASIK

Iowa City

Dr. John E. Kasik, 87, former chief of staff at the Iowa City VA Health Care System in Iowa City and professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa, died Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014, from complications of

Parkinson's disease.

John E. Kasik was born Aug. 9, 1927, in Chicago, the son of Joseph and Anna (Gilbertson) Kasik. He served in the United States Navy during World War II. 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 also was 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 re-establish 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 VA 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 on and been elected to numerous boards and associations on 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 U.S. Navy in 1945 and they were married before he served in the Pacific.

His family includes his wife, Sherle; their six children, Robert (deceased), Robert's wife, Sheila, John W. (Renee), James (Carron Whitson), Alan, Susan Miller (Paul) and Peter (Lynn Worrell); 11 grandchildren; and five 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 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Iowa City, with burial at Newport Township Cemetery, rural Johnson County. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City.

Memorial donations may 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 the Respiratory Therapy Program through Kirkwood Community College.

Online condolences may be sent for his family through the Web at 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.