WRITER DELIGHTED WITH PEOPLE JOHN WISDOM DANCER WAS FREQUENT DAILY NEWS CONTRIBUTOR.

Byline: Holly J. Andres Staff Writer

A fun-loving intellectual, John Wisdom Dancer found passion in writing and engaging others. The Canoga Park resident died Sept. 25 of a heart attack at his home. He was 64.

``He was a free spirit. He was generous, genuine and most of all, kind,'' said his son, Derek Hunter. ``He was fascinated with people and he loved to have a conversation. He was loving, intelligent and fun. We were best friends.''

Wisdom Dancer's professional career included manager positions at the Laemmle Regent Theatre in Westwood, and at the Music Hall Theatre in Beverly Hills.

He owned the Super Pops Record Detective, a record store in Santa Monica, from the mid-1980s to the late-'90s. He closed the store and took up online record sales and searches after becoming a full-time caretaker to his mother.

What he was most proud of, however, was being a writer, his son said, noting that his father wrote everything from short stories to plays and considered writing his profession. He also was a regular contributor to the Daily News' Opinions section.

``He spent a lot of time on those letters to the editor. He wanted to provoke people into thinking about their lives and the world,'' Hunter said. ``He thought about life in existential terms. His writing reflects that existential view.

``He had his liberal side, but he criticized the Democrats. He was concerned about the global big issues. He got a kick out of the responses to his letters. He loved to debate people. It was a pleasure for him.''

Wisdom Dancer, who was part Iroquois, adopted his last name in the mid-1980s. He loved to dance, including to New Wave music, and liked to exchange wisdom with people - hence, said Hunter, his father adopted the distinctive last name.

``He felt that people had a destiny and you lived by your destiny. He was never without music. Music accompanied his heartbeat,'' said Gladys Barnett, who knew Wisdom Dancer for 32 years. ``He introduced me to foreign films. Some of our best conversations were after seeing movies. It made the moviegoing experience richer. He was one of the best friends I'll ever meet.''

Wisdom Dancer was born John Wilfred LeTendre on April 24, 1941, in Springfield, Mass. He moved to Santa Barbara with his mother when he was 9 and graduated in 1958 from St. Anthony's Seminary in Santa Barbara.

He earned a history degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War.

Wisdom Dancer is survived by his son, Derek Hunter, and a brother, Nelson LeTendre. His mother, Anne Gooding, died four months ago at age 95.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. today in the recreation room at 8811 Canoga Ave., Canoga Park.

Holly Andres, [phone]

holly.andres(at)dailynews.com

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