Thomas Stephen Mushin Crisman

Beat the drums. Pay attention. Thanks for loving me.
M

I knew Steve all the way through HighSchool. Steve met and became good friends with my husband. So, through Steve I met my husband. That was 54 yrs ago. We married in 1974 and Steve was a groomsman in our wedding. Steve was a king, caring and compassionate person. He is missed by many. RIP Steve!

I received an email from Crestone Zen Center about Steve after being out of contact with him for years. We sat together with Shishin Wick and I complained about his loud breathing! Later he helped my dad go through heart stents and I referred a friend to his concierge service. He was such a dedicated practitioner of the dharma and medicine, and the world has benefited greatly from his tender and kind heart!

I am a critical care nurse and I had known Dr. Crisman for 20 years or more, he was a gentle kind man. He was my husband's cardiologist before he left to do his private practice. My father passed in 2016 and Tom came to the icu and had me do a sewing stitch on a sacred cloth that was a ritual from his religious beliefs. He helped me through the grieving process. You were a great man and will be missed on this earth. Angie Gartner RN

I met Dr. Crisman through my brother, Casey, who was a cardiac nurse at PSL. When Casey was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, Dr. Crisman offered to help us navigate the cancer world by reviewing Casey's medical records and labs to give us the "layman's explanation" whenever it was needed. True to his word, he was available for questions, opinions, or encouragement whenever Casey (or I) needed. He encouraged me to come to Zazen to meditate, which I did regularly for a time, and provided integral and immeasurable support for all of us when Casey's treatments were unsuccessful. We kept in touch after Casey passed, and one day, a year later, he confided that he had metastatic cancer. I was so sad, but he shared this was not a new diagnosis, in fact, he had been diagnosed several years before my brother. My brother had not been aware of his diagnosis. I say this to point out this: what an extraordinary person you have to be to spend time in service to others when you yourself have limited time. Those hours he spent helping us were precious moments, made even more valuable when I understood the context in which they were given.

I will truly mourn his absence, but his is a life to be celebrated. Emulated. He really was a fantastic human being. My sympathies to the Crisman family!

Dr. Crisman was a lifesaver for my sister during her heart failure. He gave her so much time, both for medical care but also for psychological care. I will always be grateful for his caring heart and the spiritual path that made him such a fantastic cardiologist. My sister loved to talk of religious and spiritual topics with him. She always got a kick out of seeing a top notch cardiologist with such a humble and caring heart and the education and experience he brought to her. "My cardiologist a Buddhist Priest!" She loved to tell people that. She died in 2020, at the onset of the current and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

I know you have left this plane of existence for another. I wanted again to thank you for your friendship and caring kindness over the years. I and many others will miss you. I wish peace for all of your other, many, friends and your family.

Paul Thombs

I met Dr. Crisman on the night I took my partner into the ER after having a heart attack. He just happened to be the doctor on call that night. I remember her telling him "that's not my blood" as he told her the results of the test to see if she had a heart attack. From that night on he was a part of her life and a godsend to both of us. I don't think she would have gotten through as well without his kind heart, patience, understanding, and genuine care for her. They were more than just patient/doctor and I am grateful that he was in our lives.