Nicholas Isaak Jr.

KEENE -- Nicholas Isaak Jr., 66, died Jan. 21, 2011, surrounded by his family, after a valiant year-long battle with malignant melanoma.

He was born July 5, 1944, in Manchester, to Nicholas and Barbara (Pineo) Isaak. He was a graduate of Berwick Academy in Maine (1963), and received a BFA (1967) and an MFA (1969) from the Boston University School of Visual Arts.

He taught at Norfolk (Va.) State College; was an assistant professor of art at the School of Visual Arts at Boston University (1972 to 1978), and chair of the art department at Keene State College (1978 to 1979).

An art conservator, he was in demand by New England's foremost institutions, galleries, appraisers, and private collectors of art for his exceptional craftsmanship, superior judgment, attention to detail and honesty. He was the conservator of the New Hampshire State House Art Collection and restored artwork for the Saint-Gaudens' National Historic Site; New Hampshire State Library, New Hampshire Historical Society; the National Historic Trust in Lowell, Mass.; the Rochester, New Hampshire Opera House, Babcock Gallery in New York City, St. Anselm College, and the Fitchburg (Mass.) Museum, among others.

He is lovingly survived by his wife, Kimberly Shaw of Keene; his daughter, Nicole Isaak Moore, his son Nicholas Isaak III, both of Durham; his mother; his sister, Carolyn Isaak of Keene; five grandchildren; nieces and a nephew,. He was previously married to Jacqueline Coyne Isaak, the mother of his children.

IN HIS LIFE: An artist himself, his quiet, atmospheric still lifes and landscapes are part of the permanent collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond; Western Illinois University; the Cheshire Historical Society; and Boston University. His works have been shown in many exhibitions and he was a recipient of the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award from the Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in New York.

An avid golfer, he also restored several antique cars and enjoyed boating on the Connecticut River and near Boothbay Harbor, Maine. For many years he was a volunteer firefighter in Westmoreland.

He was predeceased by his father in 1975 and his sister, Marcia, in 2004.

SERVICES: Donations in his memory may be made to the Isaak Family Memorial Scholarship Fund, St. Anselm College, Development Office, 100 St. Anselm Drive, Manchester 03102.

Private committal services will be held at St. Joseph Cemetery in Manchester.

A memorial and celebration of his life will be held April 16, 2011, at the Cheshire Historical Society, Keene, at 2 p.m.