JOHN KALMAN IKAFALVI DIENES Sept. 21, 1928 – July 5, 2022
It was one year ago that my dad died from congestive heart failure. He went quickly, with minimal suffering.
Dad was born in Boston, Massachusetts as a first generation American, with a French mother and a Transylvanian father. They divorced when he was a young boy, and he was raised by a single mom in the 1930’s; it was not easy for anyone. He went to multiple boarding schools and universities and eventually graduated with a PhD from Caltech in 1961. He loved Caltech and remarked that they were the first people who saw him and his potential.
He and my mom married in 1957. Together they lived in La Jolla, California, moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico 1975 – 2019 and Bellevue, Washington until 2022.
His life was full of adventures, curiosity, and enjoyment of culture. He loved outdoor activities such as sailing on his boat named the Tick Tock, surfing on the California Coast and backpacking in the Sierras. He played tennis and skied whenever he could, well into his 80’s. Even in his 90’s he would “jog” but complained about his speed when people walking would pass him by. Music and reading were a joy for him. He loved symphonies and opera and had a huge custom-made library with sliding shelves floor to ceiling. His office / library was designed to have a view of his beloved Pajarito mountain.
He found an outdoorsy, adventurous person in my mom, and they shared their lives together for 65 years. My dad loved investing in the stock market and in 1968 he made enough money to stop working, buy a European VW Campervan and spend three months with his family driving through Europe. What an experience for me (Nancy aged six) and my brother Paul (aged four). Mom and Dad travelled all over the world seeking new landscapes and cuisine. He had no problem spending many Benjamins on dinner and wine yet was frugal in other ways as evidenced by the duct tape that fixed the bumper on his car.
The hardest time in all our lives was in 1989 when 25-year-old Paul had a cliff diving accident while attending the University of Hawaii. He died from complications. My dad had to make very difficult and courageous decisions honoring Paul’s wishes.
During the COVID pandemic we had nightly Facetime dinners to help ward off the loneliness of those long days. Dad shared some of his more difficult memories. I came to understand more about his life through his eyes. Despite the challenges he had faced, he was able to enjoy the small things; a bowl of strawberry ice cream or a pine tree growing out of a pumice rock on Otowi Mesa.
Dad loved math, and his final days were spent like the rest of his life, passionately researching and writing. His last wish was to complete his mathematical paper, Beyond Vorticity. It was published posthumously in the Acta Mechanica journal on August 11, 2022.
John Kalman Dienes is survived by his wife Marilyn MacDonald Dienes, his daughter Nancy Dienes, his daughter-in-law Tracy Matthews and US cousins Andrea Dienes Broadbent and Marie Easter.