Dansville: At age 77, John passed away peacefully at his home in Dansville with his family by his side on Saturday, July 11, 2020. He was born in Rochester, NY to the late Adolf and Emily Adamski. Predeceased by his beloved wife, Barbara Judd Adamski. Survived by his children; John (Michele Atkinson) Adamski of Brighton, NY and Jennifer Sagran of Ridgway, Colorado and his grandchildren; Emily Adamski and Noah Newman, along with his many close friends, beloved dog Daisy, the Judd family, and his beloved extended family.
Many know John as the founder of the Finger Lakes Museum where he served as the Board President until 2015. He had a passion for the outdoors, which was shown through his lens as a photographer, as well as his writing as an outdoor author for many magazines and newspapers. John was a successful architect and homebuilder for many years. He designed many homes in the Rochester area, as well as in the Finger Lakes region. He loved fishing and was a charter boat Captain on Lake Ontario for over 10 years. Most of all, John loved sharing stories about his wildlife encounters and adventures in person or through social media, where he posted multiple times a day. We will miss his stories.
Friends and Family are invited to call on Thursday, July 16, 2020 from 3-6PM at the Kevin W. Dougherty Funeral Home, 8624 Main Street in Honeoye. A memorial service and inurnment will be held privately. Memorial contributions may be made to: Finger Lakes Museum, www.fingerlakesmuseum.org
. To share a memory or a condolence, please visit: www.doughertyfuneralhomes.com
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*Please note, the Funeral Home will be operating at 33% capacity per state guidelines. New York State requires those in attendance to adhere to these guidelines including those related to social distancing and face coverings.
John, we miss you already. You captured our hearts with the beautiful posts which told of life well lived. You taught us so much which we will treasure for the rest of our lives. You are in heaven, John with your beloved wife Barbara. Together you both are living the life which was cut short when first Barbara passed & then you after some years. God bless you forever.
With love,
MaryLou & Tony Liccione
I met John when he had a photography exhibit at Dansville Artworks. I loved his photographs and purchased a few pieces for my father who also lived in Ossian. I became a big fan of his beautiful work and called him The Wildlife Whisperer because he was able to gain the trust of the wild animals on his property and even in areas he visited. He loved animals, but he also respected them and they seemed to understand each other. His gorgeous and unusual shots made it look easy when he really spent a lot of time and patience getting the perfect pictures of his subjects. John was an amazing man and he will be missed. My sympathy to his family.
My sincere condolences to John’s family. I came to know John in 2010 when he very kindly honored an invitation from my 5th grade students to visit our classroom to talk about his vision of the Finger Lakes Museum. He recruited me on the spot to volunteer as an educator for the museum. Over the years I have grown to appreciate all of John’s many talents and gifts. I am personally very saddened by his passing and will miss his friendship as much as I will miss his writings and photographs.
I first met John in 2002. He wanted to propose an article idea to me about black bears – to be published in the magazine. He mentioned how they were starting to get a foothold in the Finger Lakes Region, and that this article would be timely. How right he was! We met for lunch at a little eatery in Geneva, at an old train station turned into shops and a restaurant. Right away, I could tell how personable and sincere a person John was. He was also forthcoming in discussing the recent passing of his wife Barbara and I could tell that he felt emotions deeply. I knew immediately that I liked him and would enjoy working with him.
I often told people that I was jealous of John in that he had thought of the idea of developing the museum to honor the Finger Lakes before I did. What a great idea and one I truly hope comes to fruition. Continue your great work in heaven.
John was a beloved friend and neighbor. We loved it when he stopped by for coffee and conversation. (he said we made one heck of a cup of coffee ? We are always awed by his photography and enjoyed several of his talks at Letchworth. He was a wonderful man. We are happy thinking of him being reunited with Barb! We will miss you John.
What a guy John was. So very talented and surely lived his life to the fullest!We are blessed to have known him.
We were so blessed to know John for many years and considered him a part of our family!
John just told us when we were together recently…
“The best view comes after the hardest climb.”Well John… the climb is over, enjoy the view!
John’s vision of a Finger Lakes Museum brought me into his orbit in 2008. May the future of the museum be his legacy to the region. He will continue smiling upon us from his eternal home – one with nature.
John and I worked together at Xerox in the Henrietta drafting department back in the mid 60’s right up to the day he left to pursue other endeavors. He and I shared a lot of laughs together back then. He was a great artist and could create beautiful 8-½ by 11 full color cartoons in just 10 minutes while we were on break. I still have a few if any of his kids are interested. We got together for lunch a few time in recent years and I only wish now that we had stayed in touch.
John was a gentleman and spent a great deal of his personal time caring about others as well as a conservationist and avid finger lakes supporter and will be greatly missed by many and We can all be proud to have called him a friend.
John was a wonderful, talented and very kind person who will be missed. I worked with him at the Finger Lakes Museum for a year and he remained a good, respected friend.
My best wishes to his family.
Richard Lane
I only knew John for a few years. I met him at the Genesee Valley Photography Society. In that time I came to respect him and the many things he did for conservation thru his photography, activism and in his published articles.
I last messaged him last week and asked if there was anything I could do. He said he was well taken care of at his home.
Rest in Peace John
John Adamski will be remembered as a man of many talents, but also as a visionary who loved the Finger Lakes Region and dedicated to sharing its cultural and natural history with future generations. He inspired many of us to help make his vision a reality through the Finger Lakes Museum. His intelligence and sense of humor helped define his personality. Plus, he was a genuinely nice guy..Now, with the help of others, his legacy can be realized with the completion of the Finger Lakes Museum.
John, we miss you already. Your beautiful photos adorn my walls and will stay in my memory forever. Thank you.
I never met John in person, yet I feel that I knew him “by heart”. So grateful for his joy and passion and celebration of the natural world…joyce arnold
My thoughts and prayers are with the Adamski family during this time of great loss.
To the family of John ADAMSKI,With deep sorrow of your father, you have our deepest sympathy. We meant your father when we first move to NY at a dinner of another great friend. He joined my husband Terry on program about nature with two other guys.His wonderful friendship ,memories and picture of nature will always be in our hearts.Thanks for sharing him with us.He will always be remembered in the books he gave us as well as his SATURDAY pizza and cowboy movies we shared. God bless, may the memories we all have shared give you peace and strength.Mary &Terry Weld
We will miss him greatly.
My condolences to John’s family.