John Nahas
December 30, 1926 - October 17, 2013
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John Nahas
December 30, 1926 - October 17, 2013
Obituary
Resident of Bellingham, WA.
Former Shuksan teacher and Navy veteran, John Nahas, passed away on 10/17/13 in his 87th year, surrounded by his family and private caregivers. John was born in Paterson, N. J., and sold newspapers on the streets of New York City at age 9. The family moved to Bloomsberg, PA, where he worked in the carpet mill.
John served his country aboard the USS Skagit during WWII, where he visited Marseille, Algiers, Panama Canal, Guam, and China. His ship was anchored near the Missouri during the signing of the Japanese surrender.
John graduated from CWSC and received his Masters in Education from Western. He taught at Columbia Elementary, Fairhaven Middle School and for many years as an 8th grade English and US history teacher at Shuksan Middle School, where he retired in 1987.
After retirement, John owned “John’s Treasure Shed,” the business cards for which read “by appointment or chance.” An avid collector, John enjoyed hunting for and purchasing antiques and collectibles of unique and historical significance. He also enjoyed sketching and had a fine Irish tenor voice.
He is survived by his wife Susan, his sister Agnes Fehr, daughters Patricia Abad and Peggy Foster (Dennis), grandsons Michael and Jason Pendleton, granddaughter Annalisa Foster, great-granddaughter Trista (Pendleton) Thompson, niece Nikki Wyer and grand-nephew Gabriel Wyer.
John was preceded by his parents, Lily (Gladwin) and Ernest Nahas, sisters Rose and Anne, and niece Carrie-Anne Page.
John kept active, every day visiting Fred Meyer on Lakeway or the downtown corridor. He was a regular attendee at the Saturday Farmer’s Market and engaged with people wherever he went.
Farewell Tribute Information
John will be buried at River View Cemetery in Portland, OR. At his request, there will be no other services. Donations Information
Memorial donations may be made to Whatcom County Hospice.
13 responses to John Nahas
Former Student says:
October 17, 2013
Mr. Nahas was my 4th-grade teacher at Columbia. I still remember him because he was the only teacher who encouraged me in every subject, even the ones I wasn’t good at.
All these years, I’ve kept a sketch I drew during Art in class just because he said it was “very good”–my children (when they were young) are the only others to have said that about my drawing. I’m sorry my children didn’t get the chance to have you as their teacher at Shuksan.
Thank you, Mr. Nahas, for encouraging this small, shy girl. I will remember you until we meet on the other side.
Anonymous says:
October 17, 2013
I work at the Starbucks inside the Haggen on Meridian. John visited us almost daily and we always enjoyed seeing him. He remembered our names and even had nicknames for many of us! I always appreciate when I come across a happy soul, and it seemed to me that he thrived on making others smile and laugh. I know I speak for my whole team when I say that he will be so missed. May you continue to enjoy your mochas, John…
Jodee Brinkley says:
October 17, 2013
Mr. Nahas was such a sweet man. I have great memories of being in his class. He used to take a small group of us to Herfy’s for lunch. What a great time we had! I’ve had the pleasure of running into him around town a few times and he always seemed genuinely interested in how his former students turned out. He will be missed!