A long-time associate of YCAR, Professor John Laurier Van Esterik (1943–2024) passed away under the compassionate care of Hospice Wellington on 29 June 2024, after a long battle with cancer.
Born and raised in Toronto, he was the son of Jack and Marjorie Van Esterik. He will be greatly missed by Penny (nee Fair) his wife for over 57 years, and his daughter Chandra (Brent), and also by his sisters, June (Bernie) and Deborah (Marc), and their children, Jeff, Julie and Steven. His nieces Kathryn Hyland (Ralph) and Diane James (Greg) were an important part of his life, and he admired Diane and Greg’s musical sons, Aaron and Christopher.
John was an anthropologist of Southeast Asia. He received his BA and MA from University of Toronto, and after CUSO service in Thailand (1967–69), completed his PhD on lay meditation in Thai Theravada Buddhism at the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign in 1977. He taught anthropology at various schools in Thailand, U S, and Canada, serving longest with York University in the Department of Anthropology and the Division of Social Science, and retired in 2008. He was a member of the York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) and its predecessor, the Joint Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies. Following the arrival of refugees from Southeast Asia in the 1980s, he managed a number of refugee support programs in the US and Canada.
John played cornet, trumpet and E flat horn in a number of brass bands—first the Metropolitan Junior and Senior Brass Bands, later the Weston Silver Band, and recently the New Horizons band in Guelph. He was a good bandsman—on time and in tune. He knew how to blend harmoniously with others and adjust to different musical styles. He created an award for bandsman of the year for the Weston Silver Band, and, with Penny, endowed a graduate scholarship for research on Southeast Asia through YCAR, which has made research travel possible for five students to date.
Friends will remember his generosity, his love of learning, his quiet feminism, and his devotion to the music of Tuba Skinny. A Celebration of Life will take place on Wednesday, 31 July 2024 at 2:00pm at the community centre of the Village by the Arboretum (VBA), 221 Stone Rd. East, Guelph.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial contribution to the Lymphoma Society or Hospice Wellington, Guelph.
