Joseph R. Asik

August 8, 1937 - July 17, 2020

Joseph R. Asik of Las Vegas, Nevada passed away on the evening of Friday, July 17, 2020. After a decades long battle with Parkinson’s disease, he died peacefully in his sleep, just shy of 83 years old. Joe was born August 8, 1937 in Lorain, Ohio to Joseph and Helen Asik. From a young age, he was rarely known to leave home without a breast pocket full of pens and pencils and a swiss army knife, ready to solve any one of life's problems. After earning numerous honors and scholarships in high school, he studied Physics at Case Institute of Technology. He couldn't talk about it, but one summer he interned at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, working with atomic secrets. At the age of 21, Joe married Grace (Nayper), his wife of 55 years, who he met through The Hungarian Reformed Church of Lorain. He went on to earn both a Masters and Ph.D in Physics from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Joe was a longtime resident of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and worked 30 years at Ford Motor Company as a Research Scientist where he was named in 22 United States Patents. Later in life, he also taught automotive and electrical engineering in the evenings at Lawrence Technological University. Joe’s many varied interests included camping, photography, amateur radio, computers, gardening, home improvement, educational tourism, poetry, and Hungarian food. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, and quietly helped many charitable causes. He led a very full life and will be missed by many. Joe was preceded in death by his wife Grace, his parents Joseph and Helen (Chonka) Asik, and sister-in-law Sandy (Kovanes) Asik. Joe is survived by sons, Jeffrey (Susan) Asik of Newport Beach, California, and Charles (Courtney) Asik of Atlanta, Georgia; daughter, Wendy (Raj) Agrawal of Las Vegas, Nevada; brothers, Ray Asik of Vermilion, Ohio and Bob (Mary) Asik of Lorain, Ohio; grandchildren, Alexander Agrawal, Anna Agrawal, Audrey Agrawal, Eleanor Asik, Josephine Asik, and William Nord. A family burial service will be held at 11 AM on Friday, July 24 at Ridge Hill Memorial Park, Amherst, OH. Arrangements are by Dovin & Reber Jones, Amherst, OH. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to The Henry Ford or Cranbrook Institute of Science.