John Joseph Gasper D.D.S

    John Joseph Gasper, D.D.S., age 81, of Fairport Harbor, Ohio, passed away after a long battle with heart and kidney issues on Thursday, April 26. He was born Sept. 7, 1936, in Erie, PA, the eldest of four children of the late Andrew B. and Mary Ellen (Roward) Gasper.

     Dr. Gasper graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School as a member of the Ramblers football team in the early 1950s. He went on to graduate from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. John served an internship in Chicago and maintained a private practice in Dentistry in Painesville, Ohio, for many years.

    Dr. Gasper, who went by the nickname “Skip,” was an avid sports fan, loved camping and hiking. He was a tireless volunteer for the Fairport football team, called the “The Skippers,” during his sons’ high school years, which he listed among his fondest memories. He had a passion for photography and lapidary and shared his work. He will long be remembered for the many hundreds of handmade rosaries he crafted through the years for the Catholic church and its overseas missions.

     He spent the last years of his life under the loving care of Sandy Whiteside in Painesville and Fairport.

     John is survived by two sons, Mark J. Gasper and his wife, Carrie, of Burbank, California, and their daughter, Rebeca,and Michael Scott Gasper and his wife, Diane, of Mentor, Ohio, and daughter, Amber. He is further survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Margaret “Peg” and Lawrence Lefaiver of Oak Forest, Illinois; his sister, Mary Ellen “Meg” Loncharic of Erie, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

    In addition to his parents, John was preceded in death by the love of his life, Lillian Whiteside (January 2015); his brother, Robert Thomas Gasper (April 2009), formerly of New York City and Rhinebeck, N.Y.; and his nephew, James Andrew Lefaiver (December 1977), formerly of Oak Forest.

    There will be no visitation. A memorial Mass will be held on May 19 at 11 a.m. at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Fairport Harbor with a reception to follow in the parish meeting hall.

     Inurnment will be at the convenience of the family.

     In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of John may be made to Fairport Harbor Senior Center, 1380 East Street, Fairport Harbor, Ohio, 44077

    If you know John, please take a minute and sign the Guestbook at  www.spearmulqueeny.com

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