Obituary

Joan Krystow passed away on Tuesday, October 30, 2018 after a brief illness at the age of 91. We will always be grateful for the wonderful friendships Joan made throughout her life. She will be remembered for her energy, independence, willingness to help, and friendliness.

Joan was born at home in Jersey City, NJ on October 14, 1927. She was born Isabelle Joan Hageny but later changed her name to Joan Hageny.

Joan attended The Academy of St. Aloysius in Jersey City from 3rd through 12th grade. She took 4 years of Latin and 3 years of French and graduated at age 16. The family attended St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jersey City.

Growing up, Joan enjoyed figure skating, tennis, piano, horseback riding, knitting, swimming, diving, and the beach. In the summer, you would find Joan and her parents at the beach house in the Atlantic Highlands, NJ. She also loved skating in Lake Placid, NY. Another familiar story was told when Joan lost her front teeth as she fell from the high diving board. Joan often talked about her favorite pet rabbit called Peter and a dog named Lady. She earned a Senior Life Saving certificate and later taught Life Saving to soldiers and sailors at Cornell University.

Joan graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY on September 24, 1947. She majored in chemistry. Joan was a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority where she lived for 1 year. Following graduation, her family took a 3-week trip to Cuba.

After college, Joan worked as a lab chemist at the Colgate & Company manufacturing plant in Jersey City. She became the lead spectroscope operator. She met her future husband, Paul Krystow, at Colgate.

After her marriage to Paul Krystow on March 24, 1951, the couple honeymooned in Bermuda and moved to an apartment in Jersey City. In 1955, they moved to a newly built home on Old Tote Road in Mountainside, NJ where Joan lived for 61 years. As it was a new subdivision, many lifelong friendships were formed there.

Paul and Joan had two children. Isabelle was born in 1952 and Paul Jr. was born in 1957. Joan raised the children while Paul worked as a chemical & metallurgical engineer at Exxon. After her children were school age, Joan went back to college for her teaching credentials. She taught 5th grade and later 3rd grade in Mountainside, NJ. The month of July, however, was always reserved for a family vacation “down the shore” in Manasquan, NJ. Joan retired from teaching in 1992.

Besides raising a family and teaching, Joan was a member of AAUW, Alpha Xi Delta sorority, and St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Westfield, NJ. She loved playing bridge, dining out, knitting, reading, and the beach. Later, she and Paul enjoyed taking foreign cruises especially to warm weather destinations.

Joan’s husband, Paul, passed away in 2010. Joan continued to live in the family home in Mountainside, NJ until February 2016. She then moved to Spring Creek Retirement Center in Bellingham, WA to be near her daughter and son-in-law.

Joan is survived by her 2 children, Isabelle (William) Radock and Paul (Bernadette) Krystow; 4 grandchildren Maryanna, Stephen, Ryan and PJ; and 1 great-grandson, Breeze.

A memorial service will be planned for the spring of 2019 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Westfield, NJ. Joan will return to her beloved NJ and rejoin her husband with a scattering of her ashes in St. Paul’s Memorial Garden.

Thank you to everyone for enriching and being a special part of Joan’s life.

-The Radock & Krystow Families