Nicholas ANAST

ANAST, Nicholas (Nick) Born 1959 in Los Angeles California, lost his life to the sea at the age of 55 while kayaking in Bodega Bay on March 18, 2015. An accomplished scholar, he earned a bachelor's degree from Sonoma State University and a Master's degree from The University of California Berkeley. He was dedicated to life long learning, and pursued it daily. He is survived by the early love of his life, Kathleen McCauley-Anast, their son Cooper, his family the Annings, the Anasts, his uncle George Arnstein, and thousands of friends, colleagues and students whose lives he touched while teaching at Santa Rosa Junior College and Napa Valley College. Nick taught courses in human physiology and zoology where the message was so much more than the academic subject matter. He loved the natural world and brought its beauty into all aspects of his being. He knew that the first lesson of life was living, living in respect with nature, your surroundings, and with others, which he did passionately until the moment of his passing. Nick worked seasonally for a decade as a restoration ecologist and conservation biologist on several high profile projects from the High Sierras to the North Coast of California. He spent multiple formative seasons with many of his closest friends on the Circuit Rider crew mitigating PG&E's Lost Canyon disaster. He later led youth conservation crews to restore degraded meadows in Yosemite National Park. He spent his weekends communing with the mountain, river, and forest spirits he knew so well. A black belt master studying for 28 years in the martial arts, specifically Aikido, he pursued the discipline more for its philosophy of thought and inner peace than for its physical prowess. He traveled the world with nomadic ease. Tramp steamer and thumb, not into the cities, but into the villages and small towns to meet and know the "people" who embraced him with the same goodwill he brought. Nick loved animal design and function. The adult giraffe skeleton that highlights the library foyer on SRJC's Petaluma campus is a testimonial to his enthusiasm for the architecture of nature. His immense love for his son was seen by all those around, even strangers, as he and Cooper were seen playing basketball, riding bikes, hiking, kayaking, building and gardening. Even more than those physical acts were the love and playful bonding these two shared not just as Papa and son, but as truly good buddies. Just like with his son, Nick gave a 100% in all that he did. A celebration of this unique life well lived, is planned for Sunday, April 26, on the campus of Santa Rosa Junior College. For details of this service please go to http://events.santarosa.edu/nick-anast