John Hall Antich passed away peacefully in his home July 4, 2022, with his loving wife of 47 years, Betzi, by his side. John fought a multiple myeloma cancer diagnosis for the last 10 years and did everything he could to spend more time with his loved ones.
John was the youngest of three born in Aberdeen, Washington on Aug. 26, 1951, to Albert and Winnifred (Hall) Antich. He graduated from Aberdeen High School in 1969 spending his summers playing Legion baseball and working in the mill with his father.
A proud Coug, John graduated from the Washington State University School of Pharmacy in 1974 and after tenures and ownerships at various pharmacies, he was the owner of a Medicine Shoppe during the majority of his 42 years as a pharmacist. Alongside Betzi, they proudly ran their store in the Spokane Valley until his declining health accelerated their retirement but they made sure the store carried on. He loved his patients and staff, always seeking to do as well as possible by them.
John and Betzi met in the fall of 1973 and quickly became inseparable. They wed June 14, 1975. Trips to meet their kids on their adventures from Cooperstown to Japan and many places in between were balanced with time for themselves spent vacationing in various locations, but they were most fond of visiting the Mauna Kea Resort in Hawaii and did so a number of times.
John was an avid skier through his 40s that included trips with Betzi, friends and family to many of the best mountains and resorts in the West. The early bird he was, each winter weekend he had the car packed and ready to go in the predawn hours with three groggy kids to ski for a number of years. ‘WE5SKI’ was a fitting vanity plate for the family van.
A big GU fan, he knew something special was brewing in Spokane in the early 2000s and made sure he and Betzi had their seats center court above the students. They rarely missed a game at McCarthy over the years, traveled to many road games, and he made sure he was up to date on the latest Zag scoop.
Baseball/softball was his passion whether it be playing, coaching or watching. His collection of memorabilia was well curated, and he was well read on the history of the game as well as some of the latest advancements. When the Mariners get it done someday, John will smile with joy.
Proud father of David, Nicholas and Katie, John fostered Dave’s curiosity of the world, was there at Nick’s gymnastics meets all over the Northwest and coached many of Katie’s softball teams over the years.
John was thankful for his healthcare providers over the last decade. While many deserve mentioning, John and Betzi wanted to ensure special thanks were extended to Dr. Rita M. Snow, Dr. Hakan Kaya, as well as the healthcare teams at both Cancer Care Northwest and the oncology floor and infusion departments at SHMC for their extra care and concern over the years. John sought out, and was proud to be a patient in, a number of clinical trials in the treatment and fight against multiple myeloma over his final years.
He is preceded in death by his parents and is survived by his wife, Betzi, brother Edward, sister Patricia as well as his children Dave (Rachel) of Tokyo, Nick (Tara) of Spokane, and Katie (Jeff) of Seattle. John is also survived by his beloved grandchildren, Sadie, August, and Winnie of Nick and Tara as well as Joseph of Katie and Jeff. His loyal dogs, Scooter and Phoebe, stayed by his side through his last days.
His mind stayed sharp until the end and he told stories back to his younger days with clarity. Donations can be made in his honor to the:
John Antich Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Washington State University College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 412 E. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99202. Contributions can also be made online at https://pharmacy.wsu.edu/alumnifriends/give/ and selecting the Pharmacy Alumni Scholarship Fund, in honor of John Antich.
Mass to be held July 14 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Spokane Valley with burial to follow.
