John Weston Corbeil
Marriages
Patricia Louise Thompson
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3 C Obit - July 31, 2011
John Weston Corbeil, artist, age
90, passed away in the arms of his
loving family July 24, 2011 in
McCall, Idaho. Brave, noble, and
strong-willed to his last breath,
John gave his family a treasured
life and healing death. He fell ill
while spending another summer at
their cabin on Payette Lake, the
place he loved most and had built
with his beloved wife "Patsy".
John was born in Berkeley, CA
on February 20, 1921 to Edith
Vanderlip Weston and Oliver Silvio
Corbeil. He grew up in San
Diego and Los Angeles and went
to Los Angeles High School. Enr
o l l i n g a t U C L A t h r o u g h
NROTC, he majored in engineering
and lettered in crew,
which he loved. He had almost
completed his studies when he
was called to the submarine service
of the US Navy. During
World War II, he was a lieutenant
on the USS Tunney and a
proud member of the Wolf Pack
and Mighty Mine Dodgers in the Sea of Japan. Near the end of his
service, John realized his interest was art and after the war, he used
the G.I. Bill to complete his undergraduate degree in art at UCLA.
Even more valuable than his education, while at UCLA he gained
the partner of a lifetime when a beautiful former WAVE, Patricia
Louise Thompson, caught his eye on the steps of the art building.
A dramatic courtship presaged their 62 years together - raising
seven children and balancing his artistic temperament with her
steadfast faith. After marrying Patricia, John earned a Master of Arts
at UCLA. He began his teaching career at Mt. Vernon Junior High
in Los Angeles. He then taught at Sutter Junior High, and Canoga
Park High, before moving on to Los Angeles Pierce College where
he spent the majority of his 42 year teaching career as a professor of
art. His innovative approach led his students on adventures in and
out of the classroom, including doing performance art before it had a
name, and taking groups of students on camping trips across Europe.
Throughout his career his passion and creativity inspired thousands
of students, some of whom kept in touch with him to the present.
Not only did he teach drawing and painting, he was also a prolific
artist who showed his work in galleries and his home studio high in
the mountains of Topanga Canyon, CA. His work expressed a passionate
love of nature, the subject of most of his drawings and
paintings. He carried on the tradition of his grandmother, Anne
Vanderlip Weston, a Tiffany Girl, one of the first female designers
of stained glass for Louis C. Tiffany in New York City.
Early in his career he discovered McCall, ID and he and Pat spent
the next 59 summers transforming a one room hunting shack into a
welcoming haven which supports their large family in their joyous
summer reunions. Once retired, John and Pat spent any time not in
McCall at their winter residence in Oceanside, CA, or, as their license
plate read, as "nomadic domestics" sharing the lives of their
children and grandchildren.
John exemplified love, courage, creativity, honor, humor, loyalty,
tenacity and a willingness to enlist anyone's attendance at the cement
mixer, qualities which we hope to carry on in his loving family
which includes his wife, Patricia; sisters, Diane Fraley of Mc-
Call, ID and Geraldine "Gerry" Wright of Boise, ID; Robin Gilman
of Grand Junction, CO; Ryn Corbeil and wife, Erica Rose of Lakeside,
CA; Shawn and wife, Connie Corbeil of Moorpark, CA; Piper
and husband, Marcus Field of Boise, ID; Lark Corbeil and husband,
David Crandall of Boulder, CO; Per and wife, Barbara Corbeil of
Oceanside, CA; Teal and husband, Charles LeVine of Manhattan
Beach, CA, and 18 grandchildren.
The family would like to extend their deepest appreciation to the
wonderful staff of St. Luke's McCall Hospital who could not have
been more supportive of our father and our entire family.
The family will be updating a website www.johncorbeil.com.
Condolences can be left on Facebook at John W Corbeil.
A funeral mass was held at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church
in McCall on Thursday, July 28, 2011.
