John Doktorski

On August of 2007, John was diagnosed with level four brain cancer. 

  John went home to be with His Lord on Saturday, January 19th, 2008

 
"Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life,

and may enter by the gates into the city."  

 Revelation 22:14

[This web page is to honor the Lord Jesus Christ through remembering God's servant, John ]

 “Because he has loved Me, therefore I will

deliver him; I will set him securely on high,

because he has known My name.”

(Psalm 91:14 )

 
From the Dodge Foundation:

We were blessed to have John as one of our 2004 Dodge Foundation Teacher Fellows. John was an inspiration to us at the foundation, his peers, and his students. When I met John I was new to Dodge and to the teacher fellowship program and when I read of what John had accomplished during his fellowship my jaw dropped. I was amazed that one of our fellows climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, an undeniable physical and emotional feat. We use him and his adventure as an example to our prospective fellows all the time...so his memory lives on and what he has done continues to inspire all of us.

 
In one of his reports to us regarding his fellowship experience John used the following quote. It resonated with me when I first read it and does once again as I think of John's accomplishments.
 
 You cannot stay on the summit forever.  You have to come down – so why bother climbing in the first place? Simply this: What is above knows what is below.  But, what is below does not know what is above.  One climbs, one sees, one descends.  One sees no longer, but, one has seen.

 

There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions, by the memory of what one saw higher up.  When one is not able to see any longer, at least one can still know.

 

                        Rene Daumal
 

     

                                                                     "My Greatest Adventure is Discovering Jesus Christ"

                                                             John Doktorski
 

Sr. Ellen Kelly

Executive Director

Collier Services

I always will remember John as a teacher who wanted to open new horizons for his students.  He started a biking club here at Collier and I will never forget the touching scene of John holding the seat of a bike as a “tough” teenager learned to ride for the first time.  The joy and pride on this young person’s face was priceless as John ran behind keeping the bike steady until he could let go and let her ride on her own.  It may seem to be a simple thing, but it was an act of love as he once again found a way to raise the self esteem of a teen that needed encouragement.  John was such a good and generous person with time and talents. 

I know that John had deep faith and that all that he did was out of his experience of being loved by God and wanting to share that with others. We are very grateful that we had the privilege of having John as our colleague and friend.  We miss John, but our faith consoles us and we know that we will meet again when every tear will be wiped away.

May Jesus the Good Shepherd be near to all those John loved especially his wife and family.  

 

The Bond of Love 

     Since John's passing I have learned so much.  I always knew I loved John, but it never occurred to me how strong that bond of love is.  I could always say "hey I love you my friend" to my Christian brothers and sisters, as a passing thought, but I never really thought about  what saying that really meant.  Now I know. I have been sitting here living my daily life since John left us. "Life goes on" they say after someone's passing, yes it does, but you never really realize the space someone leaves behind when they do leave us.  I know where John is, and how he is probably saying "hey, Bruno's finally figuring it out!" and smiling and laughing with that goofy laugh he has, and now I understand how strong love really is. 

      Love is sorting through your old photos and slides, looking for some pictures that might be needed at a viewing of your best friend and feeling that unbelievable warmth and power welling up inside you when you see those photos and think of the memories behind them.  Love is coming home to a dark condo at night, all alone and not being able to pick up  the cell phone and say "hey John how was work today?" , and feeling that hole he has left behind.  Love is opening the trunk of your car and finding the your daredevil fishing lure snagged on the carpet in your trunk and remembering how I once said to John while we were fishing at Scudders Falls on the Delaware and saying to him "You'll never catch anything with that one" and he did.

      Love is a bond that can not be broken.  I believe it is a gift to us from our Lord to show us what He has in store for us up in heaven.  If I ever needed reassurance as to my faith in Christ and what is in store for all of us up in heaven, John's passing delivered that reassurance to me.  For that I thank you my Lord, and for that I thank you my friend John. 

 

Dear Mrs. Doktorski,

I was one of your husband's students.  I am writing

this to tell  you  how much your husband meant to all his students.  He was a wonderful man.  He did

everything in his power to help us get by.  I am only one of the lives he touched. 

 

 For example, he gave me a safe feeling everyday in his class.  He cared so much about having a place to feel good.  He helped me more then I think he knows.  He protected me from feeling hated and hating others.  When I found out I almost busted out in tears.  And many at Collier felt

the same. 

 

He will be missed and our prayers will be with you always.  May he be happy and out of pain.  He

surely will be missed and will  never be forgotten.

 

                Yours truly, SH

 

 

For being a fine and caring man I thank you!  For making a difference in my daughters life I admire you and for caring for those children in your classes as you always did! I honor you! 

           Thank you.  The H Family

 

 

Mr. Doktorski is still the best Gym teacher I've ever had.  All of my other gym teachers hated me and never gave me a chance.  And when I came to Collier, Mr. D. gave me all the respect I wanted and needed.  I was new and he gave me all the respect and a REAL chance.

                                          MK

 

John and I went to a stream looking for sharks teeth.  This was after one of John's last operations and he could walk a short distance with help, then sit by the stream.  I waded in the stream and found a shark's tooth. 

 

 We talked about the simple beauty of the cutaway banks of the stream.  It showed layers of copper colored dirt and darker brown dirt.  We spoke of the cool way the branches curved and how even this quiet place was as beautiful in some ways as the greatest places he had seen. 

               John Bichart

 

 

Mr. D. helped me get over my fear of heights.  He also helped me climb the rock wall and ropes course! I'll never regret conquering my fears.  I owe it all to Mr. D! He was the best! 

                      DH

 

Letters from students from the Midland School in North Branch

 where John worked for about 4 years.

"I remember Mr. D. coached me at basketball. I thought he was fair and sweet. I'm sorry to hear that he passed. Take care." S.L..

"Sorry to hear about Mr. D. He used to be my soccer coach. I have good memories." J.R..

"I'm going to miss Mr. D. I'm going to miss him in gym class. I liked having him as a gym teacher. I liked playing pillow polo." J.

"I'm sorry to hear that Mr. Doktorski died. Remember all the good time you had." N.

I remember Mr. D teaching me wrestling, swimming, and the jump-a-thon. We will miss him. We all say God Bless Mr. D's family." T.C.

A WORD TO THE STUDENTS AT COLLIER HIGH SCHOOL FROM MR. DOKTORSKI'S WIFE (BETSIE)

Mr. Doktorski always loved to be a part of good, wholesome adventures. His love of life and his appreciation for nature provided him many opportunities to explore new things and to reach out beyond his comfort zone. It was sometimes a little scarey for him. He was afraid of heights, but as a young adult he made the decision to rise above that fear and learn to do technical climbing.

 I'm sure he shared many of those adventures with you as he was encouraging you to utilize the climbing wall at the school. He bicycle toured western Europe with his father and bicycled to Nova Scotia. He loved the thrill of roller coaster rides and taking his nieces and nephew and grandson on fishing trips. His love
for being physically fit was an asset for him and helped him survive bone cancer many years ago. His physical fitness was instrumental in helping him to hang on for as long as he did with this brain tumor.  He was always ready to share his experiences with others and to help them develop and improve their physical fitness through fun adventures. He has taken some of his students on hiking trips, helped them develop motor skills and taught them to swim.

However, there was one experience he had when he was in his early twenties that has impacted him for eternity. That was when he committed his life to his
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Not only was he continually developing his physical fitness, but he was now developing his spiritual fitness. This has given him more satisfaction than anything life could never offer. No matter what life has thrown at him, his trust and faith in God has strengthened and sustained him. It was God who gave him the peace and relaxation to endure being awake during his brain surgery and to face the rough road that was ahead. As is quoted in the Holy Bible in Philippians 1:21 "For me to live is Christ, to die is gain."  The one and same God who has saved and sustained Mr. Doktorski loves and cares for each one of you. Life isn't always pleasant, but with God going before us and often times carrying us, we can get through anything.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing." 2Timothy 4:7-8

God bless and keep each one of you.
 

From Gordon, John's Son-in-law

Let’s turn our memories back to when we where three years old and see what we remember some may remember some things and other maybe nothing at all. But the memories will always be there when Grandparents, Parents, Uncles and Aunts share those memories on with us.  I know of one little guy that loved his Granddaddy so much. He may not totally understand what is going on, but we know he knew things were different or something was going on during the time (Granddaddy was sick, and even during the time of the celebration of (Granddaddy’s life).  We explained to him that Granddaddy was in heaven, although he didn’t understand what we meant, but we know someday he will.  

                One thing I do know when (John would come to visit in Kentucky he would go outside and pull Nathanael around in the back yard in his John Deere Gator, He taught Nathanael to tie a rope around the front of the Gator and then pull him around the yard for hours, Nathanael loved that so much and didn’t want him to stop (John would come and tell me he has take a rest now and for me to take over), He would just have so much fun with Granddaddy.  It was just about a month ago I had the boys out in the back yard playing, I noticed Nathanael pulling Isaac(18months old) around like John did with Nathanael. 

                John will be missed so much, but I want to do what I can do, to live out the dreams that John had wanted to do with the Grandkids, like fishing, hiking and bicycling. I know I can’t fill John’s role but I can fill my role as a father and a Uncle and share to them on what he enjoyed doing and what inspired him in life, especially knowing his lord and savior Jesus Christ.

 John we Love You

Gordon, Nathanael & Isaac

A Word from John & Betsie's daughter Ardin - - January 23rd 2008

John's celebration of life! 

I have a plaque hanging on my wall at home that reads something like this 'God brings people into our lives to help prepare us for a future that only He can see.'  There is no doubt about the fact that God brought John into our lives for a reason.  A reason that we may not even know yet.  I had no clue back in 1986 when John (or Mr. D as we called him then) became our new gym teacher that he would also become my Dad. 

We have heard many nice things about John and his love of life, his love of God, and his love for his family.  But John was a man of action.  He didn't just sit around talking about what should be done - he did it.  I am confident that John would not want us to just sit around talking about him and all his attributes and qualities.  John would want us to take what we've learned through him and put it into action. 

John was a passionate adventuresome man, and while he was passionate about climbing and bicycling and fitness his greatest passion and his AWESOMEST adventure was his walk with the Lord Jesus Christ.  He was passionate about people and the state of their souls.  There have been many people that have told me that they would not have a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ if it had not been for John sharing the gospel with them.  What a testimony!...and what a challenge to us as Christians. 

There is one thing we are all guaranteed--and that is eternity.  All of us will spend an eternity somewhere-either in heaven or hell.  John's greatest desire is to see those in his sphere of influence and beyond spend an eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ.  Smile as that. 

God gave us a gift when he gave us John and I think it is ever so fitting that John's name means 'God's gift'.  When God gives us a gift does he expect us to hold onto it and never let go?  NO, God gives us a gift, expects us to share it, and will often times ask us to let go of his gift for a greater purpose to be fulfilled.  Today we are letting go of our gift, and I am confident that God has a greater purpose that WILL BE fulfilled. 

Jeremiah 29:12-13 "Then you will call upon Me and go and  pray to Me and I will listen to you.  And you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart."  Proverbs 3:5-6  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not lean on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." 

God works all things together for good to them that love the Lord. 

My challenge for us today -- What are we going to do?  Are we going to sit around and just talk and remember or are we going to take action and live. 

Today for me is NOT good-bye - it is thank you, it is I love you and most importantly it is I WILL SEE YOU LATER!!

 Arden Turner

 

 

 

 

John with his friends Miles and Kyle on a 20 miles bike trip from John's house to the Freehold Mall.

 

 

John with Ray and his two girls riding the fastest roller coaster in the world
 

* Read Ray Bock's Message at John's Memorial Service

                                                 

*  Visit John and Brad's Trip up Mount Washington

                           

* Read "My Own Memory of John" by Eileen DeMarco      

                                                                                              

*Devotional thoughts

The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands.  For the righteous man is taken away from evil, 2 He enters into peace; They rest in their beds, Each one who walked in his upright way.   But come here, you sons of a sorceress, Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute . . .  (Isaiah 57:1-3) 

At our Sunday Evening Bible Study, Mike G. brought up Isaiah 57 in our discussion of John’s passing.   The text addresses the apparent, untimely death of righteous people. 

Edward Young in his commentary on Isaiah 57 writes, “This is not ordinary natural death, but rather sudden death, a dying before one’s time.  Such death are not understood by the godless, for they do not realize that God in His goodness often takes righteous men to Himself to deliver them from some impending catastrophe.  The evil mentioned is general; and from before it the righteous are gathered.” 

But notice that Isaiah points out a different end for the wicked who remain. 

Thanks Mike for sharing this passage.  The Word is our delight!

“Off Belay”

 

 Once a mountain climber is anchored with steel spikes to the rock face, he will cry “off belay” meaning that his partner, who is tied to him, can now safely climb pass him.

 

C. Everett Koop’s son died in a mountain climbing accident on Mount Cannon in New Hampshire.   The son’s final words were “off belay.”    In his book Sometimes Mountains Move, Dr. Koop writes, “’Off Belay’ means to us that, under the circumstances of our son’s life and his death, that he was secure, fastened to the Rock, and was then in no need of any other aid.”

 

The Christian is secure to the rock, Christ Himself.   Neither death nor life will separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord  (Romans 8:38-39).   May all come to understand these things.

  

 “I love You, O Lord, my strength.  The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold .  . .  For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God.”

 

“He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken.  On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God.”

 Psalm 18:1-2,31; 62:6-7

 

A Devotional Message

“The same God who shows himself to those who love Him, hides Himself from those who hate Him.”

Blaise Pascal (17th century Mathematician, physicist, theologian)

 Many wrongly assume that God is trying to convince people of His existence.  However, the Scriptures teach God is not outwardly showing himself to the world, nor is he trying to convince the unwilling skeptic through signs and wonders.   If this was God’s objective, He could have done this long ago. 

God’s plan is to speak inaudibly to the souls of those who love Him.  Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10).   Through this mystery called “faith,” God is saving the pure in heart and leaving the unrepentant in the dark.     God shows himself to those who will love Him.

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8)

 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?”  Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. (John 14:22-23)

When the Bible speaks of “faith,” the Bible is not speaking of this new form of worldly faith that consists of mind power and actualization.    Biblical faith is a divine gift that is inexplicable to those who have never discovered the changing power of God’s Holy Spirit.  It is like  trying to explain light to a blind man. You are being misled if you believe God must use the typical proofs that the world looks for.   God is playing in a completely different ball park, and the sooner you realize this, the sooner you may find salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

 Read what the Scriptures teach about signs and healings

A Tribute to John from Bruno Hamann

I believe I met John sometime in the spring of 1980 at Trenton State College, now known as the College of New Jersey.  Dates do not matter, but it was definitely one of the most important days of my life.  It was the day I met my best friend.  It was somewhere in one of the cafeterias at the college, and a Christian friend of mine said “hey Bruno, you gotta meet this guy John, he rides bicycles too.”  I was into bicycling and needed someone to ride with and so we clicked immediately. As God’s plan would have it we became best of friends.  We became involved with the Campus Ministry of Chi - Alpha.  I had just recently accepted Christ into my life, I was in college, I met a great guy I could hang out with, and all was well.

      Soon John and I started riding bicycles together and I introduced John to technical rock climbing.  John had always been a mountaineer, having climbed mountains in Colorado with his father and brother and naturally he was interested in learning about rock climbing.  We would go on weekends to a place called Ralph Stover State Park, aka High Rocks Park, in Pa., a nice park along the banks of the Delaware River.  As we climbed together at Stover, our friendship grew and we began climbing in other areas.  Soon we were climbing the “big” cliffs of the Shawanagunks, or the “Gunks,” as they are known as and for years John and I and several friends would climb there and other places in the North East, including Franconia Notch, in NH.

      Franconia Notch is known for a mountain on it’s west side called Cannon Mountain.  It is also the residence of the “Old Man of the Mountains,” a rock outcropping New Hampshire has on it’s state quarter.
The outcropping no longer exists, having fallen down several years ago, due to erosion and ice beating down on it over the years.  The State of New Hampshire had tried over the years to save it with cables and caulk, but to no avail, the Old Man fell down.  “The Old Man of the Mountains” has been represented on several U.S. Postal stamps also.

     Many years ago John and I and Betsie his wife and the girls, Arden, Lynn, and Amy went on a camping trip up to Franconia Notch, the family taking John’s father’s camper and I my VW Rabbit.  On that trip John and I took a day to ourselves and climbed the Whitney-Gilman Ridge on Cannon Mountain, which is on the southern side of the cliff , opposite the Old Man.  It is a 600 - 700 foot rib of hard granite.  The reason it is there is because it is hard rock and hasn’t been eroded yet.  If you look at a picture of the cliff it stands out. 

      John and I started out on the climb, the weather was so-so, but we took a calculated risk and decided to go.  We both knew what we were getting into and what could happen if we made a mistake, but we didn’t talk about it much because we had faith.  We said a prayer at the base of the climb.  John asked me if he could lead the first pitch, he had never really led such a serious pitch before and I told him if you think you can do it go ahead.  So John led the first pitch of the climb and as the morning went on we kept climbing, leapfrogging pitch after pitch after pitch. 

      About  six hundred feet up the Whitney - Gilman Ridge there is a pitch called the pipe pitch.  It is a section of the climb where the hardest part is, hardest as in strength wise it is tough, it is almost near the top of the climb, it is the crux, it is exposed, you need to take a step over to a small foothold and there are six hundred feet of air between you and the deck below.  There are nice solid holds all the way, no flaky crumbling holds, in other words, it is just you and your skill to get over this section.  Also, right below you, about ten feet underneath you someone had actually placed a water pipe in a crack that was solid steel in the crack that could in no way possibly come out.  So here you are anchored to this pipe by a piece of rope being held by your best friend.  Everything was A-ok, it was just a matter of doing it, completing the climb, and taking a nice hike through the woods back to the camper.  John did not want to lead that pitch, so I led it, John held my rope, I did not fall, I made it to the ledge above, and then a few minutes later John followed me and made the same moves and I held his rope as he did the “move.” 

      John and I sat on that ledge, knowing we had made it, knowing we had not flirted with danger, but made some responsible decisions and gotten to where we were by faith.  We did it as a team.  We sat on that ledge, we ate some lunch that Betsie had packed for us.  We prayed to the Lord, thanking Him for the view we had, thanking Him for the faith we have in Him, thanking Him for the friendship John and I shared, and thanking Him for the beauty of the World around us.  That was one of the finest moments of my life on this planet, my best friend John and I sitting on that ledge with the Lord right there besides us.

      I could go on, as I sit here thinking about my friend and the good times we’ve had together, I honestly believe I could write a book about our adventures together.  These are the kind of adventures that only true friends can have.  Memories that I believe I will need to write down so they do not fade away.  John and I were such good friends and had so many laughs that I honestly believe he is part of the reason that God meant for me to walk on this earth. 

      One story I must tell is the story of the bridge.  There is a pedestrian bridge that goes over the Delaware River, near Pt. Pleasant, Pa.  It is a cable suspension bridge near where John and I used to climb at Ralph Stover State Park.  John and I would on many occasions jump off this bridge to cool off and for kicks after a hard day of climbing at Stover.  Yes, it is illegal to do this.  John was often concerned that we might be arrested and it wouldn’t look good on his resume when he went out looking for teaching jobs.
Well one time maybe 10 years ago John and I were off and it was a hot summer day so we decided to go do a “jump.”  There were a few people on the bridge, they kind of knew what we were going to do and I’d like to say the energy level on the bridge that day was high. 
People were laughing and kind of helping us out to warn us if the ranger was nearby.  I took off my shoes and climbed over the railing and jumped, it’s about a 35 foot fall into the water.  John did the same, he climbed over the railing, and to make the fall shorter he let himself hang off the bottom I-Beam of the bridge, just hanging from his finger tips.  He couldn’t do it, he chickened out and couldn’t let go, but at the same time he was laughing hysterically, people on the bridge were laughing hysterically, I was in the water being swept away by the current laughing hysterically, and finally, because he didn’t have the strength to pull himself up anymore, he let go.  Needless to say all worked out well no one was hurt, but here we were, swimming, John and I, trying to get back to the bank of the river laughing uncontrollably, the people on the bridge were laughing, and I was starting to suck water down my lungs because I was laughing so hard.  So I yelled to John “ Ranger Rick is going to find two bodies on the banks of the Delaware somewhere down near Trenton.”  “What’s he going to write on the death certificates?”  “Drowning by laughter?”  John blew up laughing too, and I must say we did have a very difficult time getting back to the river bank.  Laughter like that only comes with friendship like John and I had. 

 John, you and I will be friends into eternity…

 

Bruno 

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