John "Jake" Tanis Jr. died peacefully on July 18th, 2025 at his home in Hermon, Maine after a valiant battle with liver cancer at the age of 78. 

John is survived by his three children: Jeremy Tanis, Chris Tanis and Joshua Simmons, his five grandchildren; Gavin, Isabella, Sophia, Briar and Jonathan, and his sibling, Kathleen Tanis. He is preceded in death by his parents, John Tanis Sr. and Wilma Hagan Tanis and his siblings, Patricia Tanis Sydney and Steven Tanis. 

John was born on February 4th, 1947 and grew up in Branchville, New Jersey with his three siblings. There were many warm summer memories made at their lake home on Culver's Lake, fishing and boating. Nearby in Augusta was their family farm: Ideal Farms. It was founded by his grandfather, Jacob Tanis Sr. and was a staple of their community. Growing up on the farm gave him a huge sense of pride and helped him learn the importance of hard work.  John graduated from Newton High School where he was a wrestler, played football and also learned to build and work on cars. He was the proud owner of a 1967 fastback stingray corvette. He attended Findlay College in Ohio, where he joined the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity.

John had a great passion for skiing and moved to Aspen, Colorado in the 70's to live that dream. He met Mary Jean there on Aspen Mountain, fell in love and they were married in Cattle Creek, Colorado. They made a life together in Basalt, Colorado and grew their family with two sons, Jeremy and Chris. Here, they taught their boys a great love for skiing and skating that has stuck for a lifetime. John was also a skiing instructor at Aspen (Ajax) Mountain and Vernon Valley Ski Resort in New Jersey. 

John owned and operated his own big rig trucks over a 30+ yr span. He also worked for Dysart's as a driver for many years. He loved his Peterbuilt trucks and kept them immaculate and traveled on long hauls all over the country. He loved to listen to Howard Stern on his long drives. He would often time his return trips to visit his son Joshua in NJ or to make it back to watch Jeremy or Chris at one of their many hockey games. 

John was incredibly skilled and passionate about music. He loved to perform at open mic nights, singing with his guitar. His beloved collection included a Martin named "Granny", a Gibson named "Glenda" and a Fender Telecaster that he put a humbucker pick-up in that he named "Buck". His love of music lives on through his grandchildren, with Gavin producing music, Bella playing the trumpet, Sophia playing the flute and Briar playing percussion. He was a dedicated fan of his grandchildren's sports and events and was extremely proud of their accomplishments, even if he did have to occasionally miss his nightly date with Jeopardy. He was forever unapologetically himself and always spoke his mind.  He kept his sense of humor strong and showed his family his strength through his final days. 

There will be a celebration of life at a later date not yet determined. The family would like to thank the caregivers from Beacon Hospice for their efforts, care and help. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be sent to Maine Academy of Modern Music (MAMM) 125 Presumpscot St #14 Portland ME 04103.

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