John Monick

JOHN O. MONICK

Iowa City

John O. Monick, 74, of Iowa City, passed away on June 27, 2018, at his home.

John Monick was born in 1944 in St. Louis, Mo., son of Floyd and Mabel Monick. John was a precocious clarinet and saxophone player as a young man. He spent his early years as a member of a number of bands in the St. Louis area and studied music at Washington University. In 1968 he moved to Iowa City for the conducting program at the University of Iowa School of Music. During that time, he was a member of the popular local music group the Mother Blues Band and supported himself as a professional musician. His last band job before shifting careers was with the Lyle Drollinger Band, a longtime Iowa City fixture.

It was while he was a musician that he met his wife, Martha, and the two were married in 1970. His children, Aaron and Noah, were born in 1978 and grew up in Iowa City. John transferred his love for music to a career with the university's public radio stations and ultimately served as longtime director of those stations as well as the university's broadcasting department. He was actively involved with the national board of directors of National Public Radio.

John is survived by his wife, Martha; his brother, Joe Monick and wife, Joan, and their daughter, Jennifer; his son, Noah Monick and wife, Jen, and their two children, Claire and Walter; and his son, Aaron Monick and wife, Varsha, and their two children, Dashiell and Ezra.

To celebrate John's life, an open house with friends and family will occur on Sunday, July 29 from 4 to

7 p.m. at the Monick residence at 235 N. Westminster St. in Iowa City.

Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service is assisting with arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials in his name be made to the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, a group that supports the Minnesota wilderness that he held dear, or to the Emma Goldman Clinic, a cause he supported throughout his time in Iowa City.

www.lensingfuneral.com