Peter J. TUTSCHKA M.D., Ph.D.

TUTSCHKA, Peter J., M.D., Ph.D.


Dr. Peter Joseph Tutschka, was born in Prague on August 19, 1945. At the age of one, his family was expelled from what became Czechoslovakia and resettled in Bavaria, Germany. He was raised in a loving, principled family where both parents were physicians who often helped the sick in return for food. Peter grew up in the small rural town of Sulzbach-Rosenberg, helped with farm chores, caught butterflies on hikes with his dog, and fed milk to his pet deer! He was struck by polio at the age of 5 and, following his recovery, he found excitement and contentment more in books, music, and studying the world than on the sports fields. One of his favorite yearly events was attending music camp, where when he was 13, he caught the eye and fell in love with his beautiful future wife, Brigitte. This love for knowledge and exploring the world led him to become a star scholar at an early age. He achieved the honor of valedictorian of his Gymnasium (High School), and succeeded in earning a full scholarship to study medicine at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. He earned both a Doctor of Medicine and a PhD from LMU by the time he was 24. At that time, and after five years of dating, Peter married the love of his life, Brigitte. In 1971, they moved to Baltimore where Peter was given the opportunity of a Fellowship at the newly-created Bone Marrow Transplantation program at Johns Hopkins University. He then joined the faculty and staff of the oncology department and became Associate Professor of Oncology at the age of 35. His two children were born, Cornelia in 1978, and Christian in 1979, while at JHU. He went on to lead the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Ohio State University, the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at UCONN and then the Cancer Center at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford, CT. He was a pioneer in bone-marrow transplantation, presented at and led many international conferences, and published over 200 scientific papers on his research. And despite these many academic and professional accolades, he always put his patients first. He spent countless hours, at any hour of the day, explaining, consoling, and fighting for them. You could always call him and he would explain things to you, carefully, without condescension, for as long as it took. You could always count on him to help you. While he was never certain about what happened after death, he always fought for his patients' lives even after everyone else had given up, because he knew the beauty and wonder of the world. He was a doctor who took the Hippocratic Oath to heart, and exemplified the noblest form of the profession. He loved traveling, especially to exotic locations, mountains for skiing and beaches in the winter. Whenever he visited his homeland of Germany, his first task was to find a good beer garden and his favorite foods - leberkase sandwiches, Weisswurst, and Schweinebraten. He loved going to the opera in Munich or wherever he vacationed. For several years, he spent what free time he had on his boat in the Connecticut Sound. He led by example, and taught his children a deep love and respect for other cultures, the natural world, and all living things. He believed in the truth, regardless of what it cost him. An inspiration for him was "Don Quixote," and up to his last breath, he used science to fight for and illuminate the facts as he saw them. If you've ever had a conversation with Peter, you will remember his insistence on 'data', and you knew you had to come armed with scientific proof of your position. His knowledge and wisdom will be missed. He died peacefully at home on Friday morning, (January 11, 2013) after struggling with multiple illnesses in the last few years. He fought hard. Besides his wife, Brigitte, he is survived by his daughter Cornelia Harris; son Christian Tutschka; son-in-law Tom Harris; granddaughter Charlotte Mudd and her mother Mimi Mudd.
The Funeral Liturgy will be celebrated Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 10 a.m. in the Church of St. Mary Star of the Sea, Unionville. Burial will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to Amnesty International, 5 Penn Plaza, 16th Floor, NY, NY 10001, or the SPCA of Connecticut, 359 Spring Hill Road, Monroe, CT 06468. Arrangements are being handled by The Ahern Funeral Homes, Inc. For directions to the church, further information and online condolences, please visit www.ahernfuneralhome.com.