John William Creasy

John William Creasy, 71
FREEPORT - John William Creasy, 71, lived in Freeport, and passed unexpectedly June 21, 2017.
He was born and raised in Honesdale, Pennsylvania; completed his undergraduate degree at Colo-rado State and his doctorate in geology at Harvard.
He was a brilliant and inquisitive man who was extremely active. He was a kind, patient and gentle soul who loved teaching, learning and being active outside in any form. He retired three years ago after almost 40 years of teaching geology at Bates College.
Since retiring, John enjoyed his seasonal job at L.L.Bean in the camping department. He loved keeping up with all the new technology, as well as nurturing his love of adventure through conversations with his customers and incredible co-workers. He was a voracious reader who served on the board of the Freeport Library for a number of years. John and his wife Kathy enjoyed the past two winters walking on the beaches, hiking, biking, kayaking and birding in Florida and looking at rocks in between the mossy spots.
John's tenure at Bates started in 1975 as chair of the geology department. His vision helped create a special learning environ-ment at Bates that featured a healthy dose of field and lab-based courses, and independent research.
He especially enjoyed his five-week trips to the southwestern U.S. with his students, and sharing his passion for geology with his students and anyone who would listen.
He was predeceased by his mother, father and his brother Robert J. Creasy, of Los Altos, Calif. He is survived by his wife Kathy Bither, of Freeport; his son Matthew, of Denver; and his daughters Kris Konecki of Freeport and Ruth Konecki of Bridgton. He is also survived by his sons-in-law Dave and Chris, four grandchildren, sister-in-law Ros, niece Laura Chavarin and nephew Robert W., of California; and many cousins.
Visitation will be held at the
Lindquist Funeral Home
, Yarmouth, on Thursday, June 29, from 4-7 p.m. A celebration of John's life will be Friday, June 30, from 5-7 p.m. For directions, please email: rbitherbroene@yahoo.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations in John's memory may be made to the
Bates College Bouley Fund
www.bates.edu/giving