Obituary for John Arthur Paar
John Paar died surrounded by his daughters on September 2, 2022 in Black Mountain, North Carolina. He was born October 16, 1935 to Oscar Paar and Hazel Drake Paar in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Paar grew up in Pittsburgh then attended college at Duke University. He went to medical school at the University of Pittsburgh, then returned south to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for his residency where he met his future wife, Nancy Hege, a nurse at the hospital.
John and Nancy Paar settled in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1968 after moving around for several years for John Paar’s stint in the United States Air Force in New Mexico; the completion of his residency and fellowship in Chapel Hill; and a fellowship in Atlanta and job in Augusta, Georgia. John Paar was a practicing cardiologist in Raleigh from 1968-2007 and was last affiliated with Wake Heart Associates. He ran the cardiac clinic at WakeMed for many years.
Throughout John Paar’s life, he put his Christian faith into action through the pursuit of social justice by addressing human needs. He was a co-founder of Pan-Lutheran Ministries of Wake County. Paar was one of the first physicians to sign up with the Raleigh Urban Ministries Open Door Clinic and continued to volunteer there for over twenty years. In the 1980s Paar first visited Nicaragua as part of a Witness for Peace delegation. That trip introduced him to León, a place that he came to love. He traveled there many times to work with the organization he co-founded, Project Health for León. This experience also led him to convert to Catholicism in 1989, and he joined St. Francis of Assisi Church, where he was a member for almost thirty years.
John Paar moved to Asheville in 2017 to live closer to his daughters after Nancy’s death in 2015. There he made dear friends in the Society of St. Vincent DePaul at St. Eugene Catholic Church and continued his work with Project Health for León.
John Paar is survived by his sister, Marilyn Paar Johnson; his daughters Karen Paar, Sallie Paar, and Rachel Paar; grandchildren Audrey Pooser and William Pooser; and beloved pets Katie and Charlie, both of whom remain part of the family. A prayer service will be held on October 15th at 10 a.m. at St. Eugene Catholic Church in Asheville. His final resting place will be the Columbarium at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Raleigh with his wife Nancy. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Project Health for León, P.O. Box 527, Wake Forest, NC 27588-0527 or http://projecthealthforleon.org/.
John and Nancy Paar settled in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1968 after moving around for several years for John Paar’s stint in the United States Air Force in New Mexico; the completion of his residency and fellowship in Chapel Hill; and a fellowship in Atlanta and job in Augusta, Georgia. John Paar was a practicing cardiologist in Raleigh from 1968-2007 and was last affiliated with Wake Heart Associates. He ran the cardiac clinic at WakeMed for many years.
Throughout John Paar’s life, he put his Christian faith into action through the pursuit of social justice by addressing human needs. He was a co-founder of Pan-Lutheran Ministries of Wake County. Paar was one of the first physicians to sign up with the Raleigh Urban Ministries Open Door Clinic and continued to volunteer there for over twenty years. In the 1980s Paar first visited Nicaragua as part of a Witness for Peace delegation. That trip introduced him to León, a place that he came to love. He traveled there many times to work with the organization he co-founded, Project Health for León. This experience also led him to convert to Catholicism in 1989, and he joined St. Francis of Assisi Church, where he was a member for almost thirty years.
John Paar moved to Asheville in 2017 to live closer to his daughters after Nancy’s death in 2015. There he made dear friends in the Society of St. Vincent DePaul at St. Eugene Catholic Church and continued his work with Project Health for León.
John Paar is survived by his sister, Marilyn Paar Johnson; his daughters Karen Paar, Sallie Paar, and Rachel Paar; grandchildren Audrey Pooser and William Pooser; and beloved pets Katie and Charlie, both of whom remain part of the family. A prayer service will be held on October 15th at 10 a.m. at St. Eugene Catholic Church in Asheville. His final resting place will be the Columbarium at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Raleigh with his wife Nancy. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to Project Health for León, P.O. Box 527, Wake Forest, NC 27588-0527 or http://projecthealthforleon.org/.