Blast from the Past

See,speak,hear no evil(three klasovsky boys)
Halloween photo, from biggest to smallest, mike,ivan,toni

Jimmy Simpkins words on Ivan

"Lizabeth:

Please allow me the chance to honor our beloved and honorable friend. Above all people that I have known Ivan broke the mold on being unique. He lead the way in professional knowledge about Army operations in the canal zone and often proved to be the sole authority on the right way to do things. He was my beloved confidant while assigned to U.S. Army South and never did he let me down. Ivan was the "go to"person based on his knowledge, experience and truthfulness. He was always the optimal of a professional and went far beyond the specifications within his job description. Ivan was the reason that the Panama Canal was returned to Panama in an outstanding condition and his worth will never be known. In addition he was a friend to cast a fishing line into the teaming water of Panama or to share a laugh or beer in toasting our many successes. I am extremely sorry that we were not closer in the final years of his life but I always remember the lessons he taught me and his friendship.I know that heaven is richer for his arrival and I am sure that he is the new master planner and logistician for heaven. My sincere condolences to lizabeth and the family during this time of sadness. My you find comfort in knowing that the world is a better place because of Ivan's contributions and we all are richer from knowing him. May he rest in peace and may we always remember the sunshine he spread into out lives. Best of life. Love the Simpkins Family.

My life with Ivan

I met Ivan in 1980 when I first started working for the Army in DEH. He was married at the time and after few years I always remember seeing him in his Volvo 240 and the two toeheads(Adrian and Oliver). He divorced in 1993 and I divorced in 1991. We started dating in 1995 and got married in 1998. Through the years it was a roller coaster of good times and sometimes not. The boys finished college, Oliver got married and we both fell in love with Leah. His health issues started in 2002. With all the up and downs of our relationship we enjoyed Charlie our dog that he put to sleep on December 2001. We travelled to Panama several times. We also went to Argentina, where he took me to Patagonia and we saw the Wales mating just sitting on the beach. We both like the Ocean, El Valle, Isla Grande, Portobelo, fishing until I got Sea Sick(ask Kenny in Heaven). We both enjoy dancing and going out to dinner. We left Panama in August 1999 after he retired and I came to SOUTHCOM with a promotion. I was so home sick for the first 6 months and I remembered on Sunday evenings watching movies and just relaxing. I used to tell him, "honey how come I did this to you, we should have never left Panama and he said honey do not worry is going to be OK." We lived in Germany for 4 years, 3 Months and 19 days. He used to call Germany the Frozen Wasteland, while he was there he worked as a Contractor for the CAC Implementation. Additionally, he worked for the PX as a Contractor in addition to that he took tons of beautiful pictures for Panama News. We visited 12 Countries and thanks to Marina and Manfred our good German friends we visited Germany from North to South and East to West. They took us to cities and restaurants were you did not find Americans. Marina and Manfred gave us a flavor of Germany that was not a typical American taste. I loved my husband and he always going to be in my heart. One time Lily Palm(RIP) before we left Panama in 1999 told me one day when we were having Lunch in a Mexican Restaurant in el Dorado how smart he was. It was in the process of closing the bases USARSO that everybody realized that he was the smartest man in USARSO and I felt so PROUD.

Stuart Warners email

I am so sad to learn of Ivan's death and I send my sincere condolences
> to you and your family. Ivan was such a terrific guy and he was one of
> favorite friends. He was honest; hard working; bright, beyond belief;
> super clever; humble; and a great story-teller. He was also an
> incredible boss who gave much appreciated support to all of my ideas,
> during the time I worked under him at the Directorate of Engineering and
> Housing in Panama. It is sad that Ivan has left us, but we will always
> remember him. He brought happiness to all of us who were fortunate to
> know him. I remember that Colonel Simkins used to always come to Ivan,
> instead of the senior folks, because the good Colonel respected the
> knowledge and advice that Ivan shared. Ivan was extremely talented but
> he was not of the same mold as others. He enjoyed rocking the boat but
> at the same time, he was a pillar of strength. He would cut to the
> chase and identify the problem at hand, and the solution ... even if it
> was unorthodox. He had a capacity to engender others to work together
> in a cohesive way to overcome obstacles in achieving the task at hand.
> On a personal side, I know Ivan since we were teen-agers and he was
> always popular. Ivan loved telling Bajun jokes and he had a keen sense
> of wit. Ivan was very a very sensitive and caring person and he loved
> all of the members of his family. He was deeply devoted to you and he
> was extremely proud of his boys. I am a better person because of Ivan
> and for this, I am forever indebted to him.
>
> Love, Stuart

A Day in my Life with Ivan

It was a hot and muggy morning in mid June 1965. I had a bucket of spottails and mud dobbers waiting for me in a bait bucket at Gatun Yacht Club. I went over to the Klasovsky home to see if Nick wanted to go fishing. As I ran up the back stairs to the kitchen, I found Ivan sitting at the kitchen table (with his feet on top of the table because Mom wasn't around). Ivan told me that Nick was in Balboa visiting with friends, but he would go fishing with me. We walked to the Gatun Yacht Club with our fishing gear and then we set out on the 'Jack Killer', my small row boat, to intercept the large schools of Jack Crevalle that came out of the Gatun Locks with the first south bound transit that enters Gatun Lake after sunrise. We chased the largest school of Jack for miles: west to the Ski Docks, then around Navy Island and then South to the open channel before the Jack finally settled down and disappeared from the surface. Exhausted, we put ashore at the south tip of Navy Island and started walking up the east shore of the island looking for things to do. We were nearly a half mile from the boat (and our fishing equipment) when all of a sudden, a school of very large Jack exploded in the shallows near where we were walking. Without our fishing equipment, I picked up some rocks and started throwing them at the Jack. Ivan did the same and then he just stopped and exclaimed "Look at this!". He pointed to a couple of dark smooth 'rocks' laying in the red clay mud. He picked up the larger one and said "It's a stone axe!". Then he picked up the smaller one and gave it to me. Ivan didn't have to give me one of his stone axes, but he did so out of the goodness of his heart. Being Unselfish was one of Ivan's biggest strengths. We went home without any fish that day, but finding those stone axes with Ivan is one of my fondest memories of life in the Panama Canal Zone. I now have more than 200 stone axes from Panama, but the first one that I found with Ivan has a special place in my heart. I didn't have a lot of days with Ivan because of our age difference and Ivan wasn't home much when I was old enough to do the really cool stuff, but Ivan did take me fishing and skin diving and on walks in the jungle and on trips to Santa Clara and El Valle, etc. He treated me like a brother and I love him because of that. Vaya con Dios, my brother. - Ted Bailey

My Brother Ivan

Ivan was my brother. He was always adventurous and thought way outside the box. Had some fun times as kids, but he left home when I was 12 so most of our contact was on vacations, and a few times at my parents when we were adults. He took me to Columbia and to San Blas when I was a teen and I appreciate those experiences that I never would have had without him. I am sorry he had to suffer the ravages of ill health the past 8 years...he had a wonderfully creative mind.

Meeting Ivan and the Early Years

I met Ivan in January 1974 at the Hotel Anai, on the San Blas Islands of Panama. When I met him I was a college lass on break from the University of Delaware. I fell in love with Ivan there at the Wichub Walla Hotel, and all his enchanting stories of his wild life there in Panama. After seeing him on and off in the next year here and there on the globe, and finishing college in January 1975, I visited him in Panama once more. My heart and I never left Panama after that. Ivan and I were married 6 months later. The early days with Ivan were some of my most adventurous ones, with travels all over our beloved Panama. We camped in places like Las Lajas, Chame, Rio Ipiti, and Punta Mala. From the mountains of Boquete to the seas around Isla Grande, we explored the beauty of Panama. Ivan’s love of the ocean and nature became mine. He opened my eyes to so much. Most of all, I thank Ivan for our two wonderful sons, Adrian and Oliver, who we took everywhere on our grand excursions in Panama and other places in the world.

PS I you want to write something and you are not familiar with posting on a blog like I am, here is what you need to do… (Thank you Glenn and Oliver for your help.)
At the top it says New Post next to Oliver’s email address. If you can’t see that then use
https://www.blogger.com/start then press new post
If it asks for a Login use: oliverfulo@hotmail.com
Get the password from Oliver
I could not see how to post, as everything was in Japanese characters!

Ivan graduates from Nova University 1982

Fishing with My Dad

This is a sample of stuff you can leave.

My father passed away this April 17th 2010. I thought that it would be fun to write a few words if you like of past accounts and memories. We would love to hear your stories as Ivan was quite a wild man.


Fishing with my father was were we had the most fun together. We had our special reefs where he lined up our boat with two points( one being shit rock and the other being some island) and somehow he placed us on a 100ft reef loaded with snapper. We had our favorite gallones salesman(sardine guy) Chino who got stuck and killed by lightning one afternoon after we bought bait from him. We had plenty days where i caught all the fish and he caught none:). Best of all was when we crossed under the bridge of americas with the sun just cracking over the horizon and we would howl like a wolves while we passed under. As a kid i always wondered why but know i know, he loved the ocean and his life.