Obituary of Daniel Mark Ivanick

Daniel Mark Ivanick, 55, of Jamesville passed away on February 27 after living with ALS for many years. Born May 11, 1957 in Yonkers, New York, he was the loving husband of Maura Larkin Ivanick and devoted father of Lia Jie Yue and Julia Xiang Mei, a cherished son of Joseph and Anna Ivanick, and beloved brother to Mark, Diana, Christine, and Peter. A graduate of Clarkstown North High School, he earned his undergraduate degree in communications from Cornell University in 1974 and his graduate degree in Instructional Design from Syracuse University in 1995. In 1989 he married Maura Larkin and in 2001 and 2003 respectively, he traveled to China to adopt their daughters, Lia and Julia. They were the delight of his life and he adored being their father. He loved reading with them, teaching them to cook, watching programs like NOVA and Cake Boss, and helping them with their homework, especially mathematics. Dan was self- employed and was the owner of DMI Productions. He was an award winning director, producer, and animator of children's books for Scholastic Weston Woods, Sesame Street, and numerous other companies. He completed his last production, Math Curse, for Scholastic after he was diagnosed with ALS. After he earned his graduate degree, he was employed at Lockheed Martin and most recently by Saab Sensis Corporation as an Instructional Designer. Dan was also a published playwright whose work was produced at Pace University. He was always writing verse, stories, and songs. He combined his artistic talent with his interest in technology and his natural curiosity about all things to teach himself computer animation. Dan loved classical and jazz music, gardening with his girls, reading, cooking and brewing beer. He was an excellent and competitive athlete who enjoyed tennis, racquetball, ice skating, and hiking with his friends. He enjoyed long discussions of politics, engineering, science, and the general state of the world. Dan is survived by his wife of 24 years, Maura, and his daughters Lia and Julia of Jamesville; parents Joseph and Anna, brothers, sisters and in-laws Mark ( Jane)Ivanick, Diana (Dennis) Pletts, Christine (Stewart Hockenberry)Ivanick, Marci Winward, Mary Ann Larkin, Sheila Larkin, Conal (Elizabeth) Larkin, twelve nieces and nephews, five great-nieces and nephews, several godchildren, and many aunts, uncles and cousins, and friends. He was pre-deceased byhis beloved brother Peter, his father-in-law, Patrick Larkin, his grandparents, and several aunts and uncles. His friends, neighbors, and colleagues were all important in Dan's life, especially the Silver Palate friends and their children. Our family thanks everyone for their support during his illness. We also thank his aides, particularly Iska, Donna, Jen, Correne, and Colleen, Dr. Jackson, Dr. Shefner, Hospice of CNY and the wonderful staff of these offices for their compassionate care. Calling hours are Saturday, March 2 from 11am-3pm at the Goddard-Crandall-Shepardson Funeral Home, 3111 James Street. A memorial service will be held at a later time. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to either the American Heart Association in honor of Peter Ivanick or to support his daughters c/o P.O. Box 88, Jamesville, NY 13078.