John Andrew Cassis V's Obituary
John Andrew Cassis V was born in Jerusalem, Palestine on June 17, 1935. At the age of 88, he passed away peacefully on January 11, 2024 in Palm Coast, Florida, where John and his wife, Beatrice T. Cassis have lived for the past 11 years.
John will be mournfully missed and will always hold a place in our hearts. He is survived by his soulmate Beatrice T. Cassis, originally from Tanganyika, East Africa. They were married on September 10th, 1966 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Elkhart, Indiana . John was the proud father of Pamela Joan Cassis of Palm Coast, FL, John Andrew Cassis VI (Angie) of Floyds Knobs, Indiana and Michael Anthony Cassis of Scottsdale, Arizona. He was so proud and loved being a grandfather to Claire Elizabeth Cassis (17) and John Andrew Cassis VII (15) of Floyds Knobs, Indiana. Also, surviving is his beloved sister Roberta Odette Cassis of New Albany, Indiana, Sister-in-law Ona A. Thomas, Fleming Island, FL and Brother-in-law Guy Thomas (Louise) Durban, South Africa. John had 9 nieces Lillian Zarzar, Katherine Zarzar, Mimi McClish, Christine Zarzar, Bonnie Zarzar, Louise Thomas, Angie Thomas, Sarah Thomas and Lara Thomas. He also had 4 Nephews; Bob McClish, Robert Zarzar, Brian Thomas and Ryan Thomas (Dubai, UAE). Great Uncle to Lauren Zarzar (Aaron Garner), Anthony McClish, Dr. Rochelle Zarzar (Johnny Tran), Zander Thomas, Brylee Thomas, Kit Thomas and May Thomas.
John was the 4th child born to the only Palestinian on the High Court of Palestine, the Honorable John Andrew Cassis IV and matriarch of the Cassis Family, Aryero Allouchie Cassis, both deceased. He also was predeceased by his brother, Elias Cassis, brother in-law Dr.Robert Zarzar and his sister, Adla Zarzar.
John has lived a very interesting, adventurous life. John’s family was one of the first Christian families to settle in Jerusalem, Palestine. He was baptized at Mar Elias Monastery Church overlooking Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The 4th century Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem was his home church. As a child he attended Christmas midnight mass at the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem. While growing up in Jerusalem he attended and graduated from the prestigious St. George Academy. He was fluent in English, Arabic, Spanish and French and was fortunate to travel to over 50 countries. John was a proud graduate of The Ohio State University with honors and was a member and President of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Then, he received his MBA from Indiana University Business School. John was a very successful business executive in the chemical industry spanning over 40+years.
After being drafted to the United States Army he became a US citizen. He rose to become a Sergeant in the US Army stationed in Spokane, WA and was an upholding veteran and very patriotic American. John was lovingly referred to as “Short Fuse”, had legendary one liners and was an avid dog lover, especially his best buddy, Oscar. “Short Fuse” loved watching James Bond movies with Claire and Drew, The Godfather movies, Scarface and any mafia movie and John Wayne western movies. He shared many rounds of black coffee each day with Bea, along with Toblerone chocolate, peanuts and would drive hundreds of miles for the best feta cheese around, especially to Greektown in Chicago. He was a collector of watches, loved Frank Sinatra and loved his Cadillacs. John above all things loved his family. Heaven has gained an angel that was intensely loyal, persistent, loving and fierce, he will be greatly missed… John Andrew Cassis V lived the “American Dream”.
“The pain of missing you is a beautiful reminder of the joy of loving you.” -Dean Jackson
“And now the end is here
And so I face the final curtain
My friend I’ll make it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more
I did, I did it MY WAY”
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to increase awareness and resources for those who Stutter to Stutter Navigator, www.stutternav.org or Best Friends Animal Society, www.bestfriends.org.
John's cremains will be laid to rest at Crown Hill National Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana. A celebration of life will be held the spring.
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