Alfred John Kandik 
 
Alfred John Kandik, 91, of Austin, Texas, passed away May 14, 2011, in Austin. He was born March 18, 1920, in Toledo, Ohio, to Andrew and Klara (Vasko) Kandik, immigrants from Hungary. He was the seventh of eight children and was orphaned at age 11. He was nurtured by his siblings, who saw him off to college at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. His college career was interrupted by World War II, where he served for two years in the European Theater of Operations and participated in the D-Day landing on June 9 and in the Battle of the Bulge.
Upon returning to Ohio after the war, Alfred married his college sweetheart, Esther Fruend, and completed his bachelor's degree. He completed master's degree in psychology at Case Western Reserve and in 1949, he and Esther moved to Sioux City, Iowa. Al was in private practice as a psychologist for the next 32 years. He was also a professor at the University of South Dakota and Morningside College. He was very involved in the art community in Sioux City. He started the first Great Books Discussion series and dedicated his time to the Sioux City Art Center. Al and Esther had two children, Karen, a social worker in Minneapolis, Minnesota and James, a real estate agent in Windsor, Connecticut. Esther passed away in 1981 and Al continued with the plans they had to move to Austin, Texas.
Al met the second love of his life, Alice Riley, at church in Austin. They were married in 1985 and moved to Lago Vista, Texas. Al became very involved in the arts community and for a time he operated an art gallery. He also treasured his time at the Lago Vista Library. Even as Al faced health issues in the past few years, he maintained his enthusiasm for life and learning. He enjoyed fine art, great literature, classical music, writing poetry and could never pass up visiting an art gallery. Alice and others described him as "the most interesting man they ever met".
Al is survived by his wife, Alice; daughter, Karen; son, Jim; step-daughter, Valerie; step-son, Jon, and his wife, Janet; step-granddaughter, Chrissy; step-great-grand daughter, Kate; sister, Isabelle Martens of Cleveland, Ohio; special friends, the McCormacks; many nieces, nephews and loving friends. Private services will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers and customary remembrances, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Lago Vista Library, 5803 Thunderbird, Suite 40, Lago Vista, TX 78645 or the Sioux City Art Center, 225 Nebraska St., Sioux City, IA 51101-1712. Services entrusted to Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas. Condolences may be sent to www.cookwaldenfuneralhome.com.