I knew John Demshar was ill with some kind of rare cancer.  Not three weeks ago, I talked with John.  He sounded a bit weak, but optimism oozed from his thoughts.  Then I saw the notice of his death a couple of days ago.

BEGININGS

The organization we were both connected through is Lions In Sight.  LIS is a Lions subgroup organized in the California-Nevada region.  Many in the local LIS were probably aware of John’s illness, but most of the professionals involved are from outside the American Southwest.  His death came as a bombshell to many of the doctors he worked with over the last twenty years.

John was a Wyoming kid made good, coming out of the hardscrabble grounds of Rock Springs.  Details of John’s life, as a whole, are described here.

The war in Vietnam dragged him away not long after high school, engulfing him in a completely different world.  He was an infantryman working out of Da Nang in the jungles.  Many a patrol had John out in front on point.  I never talked with him very much about his experiences.  He surely kept busy during his year in Vietnam. 

On a trip to Sri Lanka after the tsunami, our team went out to the east coast of the island a month after the event.  Our in-country Lions were involved in the Sri Lankan army enabling us to move fairly freely in a landscape still wrapped in a horrific civil war at the time.  I remember John swapping stories with the Sri Lankan colonel in charge of a Sri Lankan infantry school where we stopped for lunch.

Returning from his stint in the Nam, John Demshar worked hard eventually graduating from University of California at Berkeley with a Doctor of Optometry degree.  He set up a successful partnership in Stockton, California where he thrived among the summer heats of the central valleys.

LIONS IN SIGHT

My life with LIS began in 2000.  The organization was led through the Lions Club by Dr William Iannacone, a chiropractor – former baseball catcher – who had migrated from the snows of Buffalo to the sun of the San Francisco Bay area.  The professional director at the time was Dr Leila Chow, OD, whose professional practice centered with John’s partnership.  John already had experience with volunteer optometric work with the Flying Samaritans, a group which flew into small villages along the Baja California peninsula for weekend clinics.  When Leila stepped aside in 2008 to raise a family, John stepped in for his colleague.

Time clouds my memory somewhat, but I think the first trip we were together on was a weeklong trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina.  He came on the trip with his wife, Debbie.  We saw many patients working hard beneath the equator.  All in all, I worked alongside John on maybe nine trips.  Those trips focused on areas as diverse as Serbia, Argentina, Sri Lanka, Albania, Costa Rica, Colombia and Mexico.  It was always a pleasure to work alongside a doctor who focused during the clinic hours on serving as many patients as possible while delivering solid service and providing leadership to the teams he led.

My memories of John were of a worldly man far from the coal mines of western Wyoming.  Rock Springs is a totally different world from the one that John trod upon.  On some of our trips together he brought not only his wife, but his sons to give them experiences outside of their Californian norms.

A CLINICIAN

John worked hard in the clinics.  I knew in a clinic with John, we could expect to maximize the number of people we helped visually.  He was a stud in clinic.  But also, a mentor for new clinicians on their first trips.  He helped when he could but also recognized that other doctors on the trips were doctors.  On some trips, some lead doctors were reticent to accept results from other doctors.  Post clinic talks next to a pool or simply in a hotel with a few beers or whatever were always informative and positive.  He recognized pluses and minuses of doctors but also recognized the efforts made on individuals’ parts to provide needed services.

BEYOND THE CLINIC

Tequila featured in John’s life.  He grew his own agave plants, distilling his own products.  Legally, he was distilling mezcal since tequila can only come from the Mexican State of Jalisco.  Tequila, mezcal no matter, John was a connoisseur.  I never got to one of his tastings.  My memories of John were helping him to bed on more than one occasion after he had done a bit too many explorations.

Our time here on Earth is limited.  The time I shared with John are ingrained in my being.  A stud optometrist who knew the mission and was determined to perform.  I will miss him dearly.  I learned from him on many aspects of life.  What better role can there be for a life than to have such an impact on others.