Obituaries

September 7, 1943 to January 14, 2014

KEWANNA - Gordon M. Ligocki, 70, of Winamac passed away unexpectedly Tuesday, Jan. 14, at his residence.

Born on Sept. 7, 1943 in Hammond, he was the son of the late Michael and Regina (Hlodnick) Ligocki. On Nov. 30, 1994, he married Linda Lee Cogdill who survives.

Also surviving are sons; Ian Ligocki and Tristan Ligocki both of Iowa City, Iowa; step-daughters; Renata Heinsen of Monterey, Sonya Smith (Joseph) of Colorado Springs, Colo., brothers; Lewelyn Ligocki (Martha) of Eugene, Ore., and Martin Ligocki of Crown Point, sister; Sylvia Wagner (Edward) of Marshfield, Wis., mother-in- law, Ruth Cogdill of Kewanna and grandchildren; Doran, Lillian, Roan, Olivia, Sid, Emery, and Charlie Elizabeth. He is also survived by several nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.

Mr. Ligocki received a BFA in fine art from Ohio Wesleyan, OH; an MA in drawing and painting (Hans Brederm, Byron Burford, and John Grillo) from University of Iowa, IA, and an MFA in sculpture (under Frank Gallo and Richard Hunt) from Governors State, Ill.

He retired as an art professor at Ancilla College, Ancilla. He also taught art at Valparaiso University, Purdue University, and Indiana University Northwest. He was gallery director of fine arts at Indiana University Northwest. He taught classes and workshops at the Art Barn, NIA, Hammond, Gary Art Center, Gary, Easton, Md., and numerous other art associations. He was also a former feature writer and art critic for the Hammond Times, Chicago Tribune, and Arts Inrtdiana. He was a lecturer and instructor at Northern Indiana Arts Association, Hammond; John G Blank Center for the Arts, Michigan City; Miller Art Project, Gary; and Chesterton Art Gallery, Chesterton. He has written forwards and critical reviews for books. He hosted a television program “The Right Tool for the Right Job”. Channel 29, Gary. He was an Illustrator for Urban and Regional Planning Institute, Iowa City, IA

Mr. Ligocki is reknowned in the art world. He juried regional, national, and international art competitions. He has curated shows for galleries and museums. He was nominated in “Who’s Who in America.”. His art can be found in permanent collections of the Midwest Museum of Art, Indianapolis Art Museum, and Valparaiso University Braer Museum. His work is included in many permanent collections throughout the U.S. and Europe.

He also enjoyed gardening, cooking, traveling, hiking, and, of course, his art.

A celebration of life service will be held in the spring.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Harrison Metzger-Rans Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Kewanna Chapel.