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John Constantine Ivanoff

John Constantine Ivanoff obituary, Riverside, CA

John Ivanoff Obituary

JOHN CONSTANTINE IVANOFF 2-06-1920 - 3-11-2013 In the morning of Monday, March 11, 2013 John Constantine Ivanoff, Orthopedic Surgeon, passed away in Scripps Memorial Encinitas Hospital attended to by his wife and his daughter. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ivanoff grew up during the depression. He was the older of two children born to Peter and Olga Ivanoff, both European Immigrants. His father was a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of Michigan and his mother was a Sorbonne-educated instructor of French. Ivanoff's childhood was stepped in history, science and culture, including many years of piano lessons. At one time he dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. Soon after graduating from the University of Michigan in 1942, Ivanoff was called to war. Trained as a cryptanalyst / translator in the United States Army Signal Corps, he narrowly escaped death on his way to England in the winter of 1942. While crossing the Atlantic, his convoy of forty-three ships was attacked by German U-Boats. Although half the ships went down, his did not and he lived to tell the story through out the years. Ordered to British Signal Intelligence Services in London, Ivanoff helped decode secret German transmissions. He met Winston Churchhill, Dwight Eisenhower and General Omar Bradly while surviving nuisance bombings by the Nazis. Fresh from the University of Michigan, where he completed medical school and residency, Ivanoff came to Riverside, California in 1956. He and Dr. Neuman Kennedy Bear, an established Orthopedic Surgeon, formed the Inland Orthopedic Clinic. In 1957 Dr. Don Carpenter, a Riverside surgeon, got Ivanoff interested in the California Crippled Children's Services Program. Eventually he became an orthopedic consultant and director of as many as eight clinics in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. He continued to consult in crippled children's clinics until moving to San Diego county in 2006. "I get a personal satisfaction out of treating young children and watching them grow up through adulthood". "I feel I'm putting back into the community efforts that pay off". Ivanoff was a Past President of the Riverside County Medical Association, a member of the American Medical Association, and a member of the Riverside Racquet Club. Dr. Ivanoff is survived by his wife, Louise; his four daughters, Alexandra, Janis, Marisa and Nicole; his one son Ted Allen; six grandchildren; three great-grand-children; and one great-great grandson. A memorial service will be held at 11:00AM on Friday, April 12th, at the Riverside National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the University of Michigan Medical School.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Press-Enterprise on Mar. 31, 2013.

Memories and Condolences
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5 Entries

Andi Stanley

July 18, 2024

This is late, but I wanted to memorialize my friend and patient. I was Dr. Blackman's Medical Assistant and Dr. Ivanoff was one of my favorite patients. He talked me into getting a neurosurgeon for my cervical fusion when I approached him to do my surgery. He told me that a neurosurgeon was the way to go. I was also the one who helped him with his diabetic diet. I taught him food exchanges, and Tavi´s biscotti wasn´t on the list. I miss all of my patients from Dr. Blackman´s office. We had the BEST patients.
I am now a Hospice nurse. While I was sitting at Riverside Community Hospital many days with our other Ortho surgeon patient as he was about to pass from cancer, my Hospice dream was planted in my heart.
God Bless You, Dr. Ivanoff. I´ll see you when I get there, my friend.

Jan Ivanoff

March 29, 2014

Some memories of Dad:
- He played Chopin and Grieg concert-level in our living room to unwind from long days doing orthopedics.
- He took us kids on some long, windey road trips.
- He would come home with a good vocabulary quiz like "Do you know the difference between ludicrous and lugubrious?" (Helped us be way ahead academically.).
- We knew that when his colleagues took one weekday off for golf or such, he devoted one weekday to the crippled children's clinic, so we had a good example of community service.
- Dad financed higher education in his kids.
- About his earlier years, I heard he studied the dictionary daily, then German in high school while Hitler was doing his takeovers, so he was primed for the military intelligence service in the army, deciphering German codes and cyphers.. That's all we kids heard until we later learned that the Allies, through this work knew the German codes all along. Dad had kept that fact secret until the 1970's.
- I remember each Christmas wrapping gifts with Susie/Alex, that Dad got for all the hospital wings. He was generous.
- Dad said he ran long distance in college. Although I was never athletic I could jog distance in high school and college and beyond until kids came along, one of which is a running champion, coach and fitness trainer. Persistence pays off in many, many ways.
- Dad had, and continues in the beyond, to have love and benevolence for everyone he encountered.

Alexandra Ivanoff

March 28, 2014

In living memory of my father, who was named after Constantinople, the city where I now live.

April 12, 2013

John Ivanoff was a truly brilliant man, but mostly we remember him as a good man who gave more than he took during his lifetime. The most excited we ever saw John was when he came next door to Evelyn's Parents and showed us the Readers Digest article about the young U.S.Army Officers who broke German codes during WWII. "That was me, I did that" He followed the rules and did not talk about this service for 50 years. An honorable and honest man. Our Son's Father In Law, who was admired by us all. Rest Easy John. Cois and Evelyn Byrd

Kerren Brown

April 10, 2013

Dr. Ivanoff's caring, leadership, and expert orthopedic management will not be forgotten by the children, families, the many Occupational and Physcial Therapists who worked under his guidance, or orthotists who provided bracing. He dedicated many hours to serve the children in the California Chidren's Services/Medical Therapy Program throughout the Inland Empire. Thank you for sharing him with us.

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