Joseph J. Kristan

Joseph J. Kristan, M.D., 86, beloved husband of Katherine (Gilpatrick) Kristan of Vernon, passed from this life peacefully on Friday, May 26, 2006, at Woodlake at Tolland, surrounded by his loving family.

He was a retired brigadier general in the Connecticut Air National Guard and a distinguished family physician. On being a physician, Dr. Kristan said, "Even if you die broke, you are still a rich man." Born to Hungarian immigrants Paul and Marta Kristan in Terre Haute, Ind., his life was marked by great achievements and deep dedication to his work. Dr. Kristan attended Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford, where he lettered in football and was named salutatorian of the Class of 1937. After suffering through a very severe ruptured appendix and painful recovery without antibiotics, he decided to pursue a career in medicine. He excelled as an undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he also played varsity football and was a member of the wrestling team. He stayed in Baltimore to attend Johns Hopkins Medical School and received his M.D. in 1946. He was drafted after the attack on Pearl Harbor and as a conscientious objector because of his Catholic faith, was assigned to veterans affairs hospitals in Coral Gables and Miami Beach, Fla. As an officer in the Army Medical Corps, he treated the wounded between 1946 and 1948. Subsequently, he completed a residency in internal medicine at Mount Alto VA Hospital in Washington, D.C. He became a flight surgeon at Randolph Air Force Base in 1951. Promoted to major, Kristan then became commander of the Base Hospital at Manston RAF Station in Manston, England, between 1952 and 1954. During his military years, Kristan was certified to fly and to co-pilot jets. Among other adventures he did an early zero gravity flight in an F-106 and became a member of the "Mach Busters" club overseas. Upon returning to Connecticut, he spent a year at the Newington VA hospital, specializing in cardiology and then transferred to the Connecticut Air National Guard as a flight surgeon. He opened a private practice in Rockville in 1955, where he worked as a family doctor until his retirement in 1988. Using his power of persuasion, Dr. Kristan drew many other fine physicians to Rockville in order to provide exceptional medical care in a small town setting. While in private practice, Dr. Kristan served as the surgeon general for the state of Connecticut, and director of health for Vernon. He was an active member of the Hartford Heart Association, Governor's Committee on Fitness, the American Lung Association, and received a Presidential Fitness Award. When asked his philosophy about practicing medicine, Dr. Kristan quickly replied, "The patient comes first. The patient is always first and foremost." Dr. Kristan was an early proponent of pain control and after retirement studied and practiced addiction medicine in Willimantic. He was a 50-year member of the Rockville Knights of Columbus.

Besides his loving wife of 23 years, he is survived by his beloved children, Joan C. Kristan, Joseph J. Kristan Jr. and his wife, Rhona, David P. Kristan and his wife, Jane, Margaret M. Hallenbeck, James M. Kristan and his wife, Kay, Anita M. West and Justin P. Kristan, as well as his step-children, Cindy and David Rothwell; six grandchildren; a great-grandson; a brother, Julius Kristan and his wife, Helen, and many close and devoted nieces, nephews, and their children.

His family will receive friends at the Ladd-Turkington & Carmon Funeral Home, 551 Talcottville Road (Rt. 83), Vernon, on Tuesday, May 30, 2006, from 1 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Family and friends may gather Wednesday, May 31, at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial, 11 a.m., at St. Bridget Church, 80 Main St., Manchester. Burial will follow in St. John's Cemetery, Wallingford, with military honors.

Memorial contributions in his memory may be made to Woodlake at Tolland, Attn. Terry Nichols, 26 Shenipsit Lake Road, Tolland, CT 06084, or to the Visiting Nurses & Health Services of Connecticut, Attn. Hospice, 8 Keynote Drive, Vernon, CT 06066.

For online condolences and guest book, please visit our Web site at

www.carmonfuneralhome.com