John James LA GAIPA

LA GAIPA, John James Ph. D
88, of Windsor, went to the Lord on November 10, 2014 at Windsor Regional Hospital. He was born on April 10, 1926 in Rochester, New York to Steve and Anna La Gaipa. He served in WWII in the Pacific Theatre and returned to pursue a BA at Hobart College and Masters Degree at the University of Michigan. He was united in marriage to Helen Christ La Gaipa of Rochester, NY on December 15, 1951 and they moved to Washington, DC where he completed a PhD at the American University and then performed psychological research for the United States Air Force. He began his teaching career at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He moved his family to Windsor, Canada in 1968 where he was professor of Psychology at the University of Windsor and performed landmark research on Interpersonal Relationships which is still being cited today. He retired from teaching at the University at the age of 62 to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and taught Water Colour classes and lecture series through Uni-Com for many years to a devoted following. He is a past president of Kiwanis International. He has held sessions on Opera and started a Poetry Group at Amica and published a poem in a national anthology in his 87th year. Most recently he has been exploring the guitar and ukulele and had his second public performance at Amica four days before his death. He is predeceased by his wife Helen on April 30, 2010 and his sister Angelica on August 4, 2003. He is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Drs Diane and David Peirce and three granddaughters, Caitlin, Leah and Alexandra, sister Carmella Castillo, two nephews in Rochester, NY and two nieces in Florida. Cremation has taken place. Memorial visitation will be held at the Walter D. Kelly Life Celebration Centre on Friday, November 14, 2014 from 2-4 & 7-9 pm. The memorial service will take place on Saturday, November 15, 2014 at 10:30 am at All Saints Anglican Church. Memorial contributions may be made to All Saints Anglican Church or to the Canadian Diabetes Association. Special thanks to Dr. Tyceer Abouhassan and Dr. Amit Bagga, his wonderful friends and the incredibly caring and competent staff at Amica Assisted Living.