In Memory: Dr. Elzbieta Gurtler-Krawczynska, Survived Harsh Labor Camp To Become Doctor

Editor’s note: the following obituary was submitted by H.M. Patterson & Son-Spring Hill Chapel funeral home.

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Dr. Elżbieta Gürtler-Krawczyńska was born Jan. 28, 1938 in Warsaw, Poland and died Jan. 28, 2016, in Atlanta, GA.

In early childhood she was exiled with her mother, also a physician, to a Russian labor camp in Siberia. Despite such harsh beginnings, she went on to become a physician and graduated from the Medical Academy in Warsaw in 1962.

She specialized in cardiology and went on to become the Deputy Head of the Department of General Cardiology at the Institute of Cardiology in Warsaw. She served as treasurer and secretary of the Warsaw Division of the Polish Society of Cardiology in the early 1980s.

In 1986, during the time of Martial Law, she and her husband, Krzysztof Krawczyński, M.D., Ph.D., immigrated to the US. In the US, she received a research fellowship in Nuclear Medicine at Emory University. She then attained the position of Assistant Professor in Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine.

Over the years she became a knowledgeable resource for the collaboration between cardiology and nuclear medicine. The focus of her work was on clinical trials in nuclear imaging of the heart. She retired in 2008 after 25 years of productive research with numerous publications in prestigious medical journals and was bestowed the honor of Professor Emeritus of Radiology.

Elizabeth had many interests and activities outside of medicine, and utmost was her passion to share Polish culture and art with the community. With tireless effort she helped bring weekly Polish language mass to the Atlanta Polish community with the establishment of the Polish Catholic Apostolate in the Archdiocese of Atlanta at St. Marguerite D’Youville Catholic Church in Lawrenceville.

She even traveled to Rome to personally meet Pope John Paul II and request his blessing. She performed many roles for the Polish Apostolate, not the least of which was the start of an enormously successful, annual Pierogi Festival. She was a founding member of the Polish Club of Atlanta in 1997.

She was a member of the Kosciuszko Foundation since 1994 and as a Chopin Society board member she helped promote the music and understanding of Frédéric Chopin. She was a member of the Polish American Medical Society. In 2007, she received a Civic Achievement Award from the Polish American Historical Association. In 2013, she received a medal of recognition for her excellent service to the Polish Catholic Community in the Archdiocese in Atlanta.

Along with her vibrant volunteer work, she was very present in the lives of her daughter’s family. She loved being outdoors and relaxed by gardening. She had tremendous energy and true intellectual curiosity. She never failed to have a camera in her hand to capture the beauty of nature and document life along the way. She worked hard to instill in her family a deep knowledge and appreciation of Polish traditions and history.

On two separate occasions she was able to live with her granddaughters in Warsaw for an extended period of time. In retirement she traveled to Lithuania and Belarus with her daughter to explore her family ancestry. Most of all she was a proud mother and a kind and loving grandmother. Through her personal sacrifice she was able to witness three generations of female physicians in her immediate family.

She is survived by her daughter, Anna Paré, M.D., her granddaughters Alexandra and Kristina and her son-in-law, Richard Paré, M.D.

She was married for 52 years to Krzysztof, and they departed this life together. They will be buried together in Warsaw. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Chopin Society of Atlanta or PCAAA.

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Image via Chopin Society of Atlanta’s Facebook page