JAHNS, Krystyna
September 29, 1935 – February 3, 2023
We are sad to share the passing of Krystyna Jahns, who left us peacefully on a Friday afternoon two weeks ago at the great age of 87. She was a lifelong passionate mountaineer and skier, a respected physician, a caring mother, sister, and grandmother, and a trusted dear friend.
Krystyna was born in the Polish city of Cieszyn on the 29th of September 1935. Her childhood was shaped by the Second World War, the displacement and hiding caused by it, and by the death of Krystyna’s father at a young age. As the oldest child of three, she took on a lot of responsibility after his death and helped her mother raise her two younger siblings. During the Nazi occupation, Krystyna's mother accepted to shelter a Jewish girl. When the Germans came to search their home, Krystyna lay in her bed pretending to be ill while the girl hid under her covers. At the age of 6, Krystyna carried pamphlets for the Polish Resistance, as generally children were not searched by German soldiers.
With the end of the war, times remained difficult for Krystyna and her family due to loss, trauma, and newly instated communist rule. Despite this, in her late teens, Krystyna was accepted into medical school and started working as a doctor in the city of Bytom in the late 1950s. In her final year of her medical internship, she had her son Maciej (Martin). As a single mother and caretaker for her aunt, Krystyna continued to have a lot of responsibility, but despite this, she completed her Ph.D. in Infectious Diseases and continued advancing in her career path. Outside of work or caring for her family, she would spend her time hiking, climbing, or skiing in the Tatra or Bieszczady mountains.
With the passing of her aunt, the graduation of her siblings, and adolescence of her son, Krystyna wanted to fulfill her curiosity for travel and applied to join the Polish Foreign Medical Service. She was accepted and posted as a medical doctor to Benghazi in Libya for two years. After that, she was posted to Maiduguri in Nigeria. Krystyna enjoyed life in Nigeria and stayed there for 5 years. While there, she travelled around Central-Western Africa a lot, survived a septic ear infection and malaria twice, and summited Mount Cameroon.
With the political instability and imposition of martial law in Poland at the beginning of the 1980s, Krystyna decided to not return to Poland and joined her son, who had emigrated to Canada. After obtaining her medical license on her first try in Toronto, Krystyna started a job in Newfoundland, where she stayed for 8 years. During her time there, she would go skiing every weekend, often leaving for the slope after her shift on Friday and returning late Sunday night.
At the end of the 1980s, Krystyna fulfilled her childhood dream to explore the far north as she was offered a job as a physician there. Before heading North, however, Krystyna travelled more and, in that time, summited Kilimanjaro, and volunteered as a physician in Dharamsala in Northern India for half a year. Once up north, she was based in Inuvik and worked in Tuktoyaktuk, Banks Island, and in several towns in the Beaufort Sea Delta.
After 4 years up North, she made the decision to spend the last years of her career and her retirement in Canmore. She moved to Canmore in 1997, and her home was a pit stop for many hikers, skiers, travellers, family members, and tenants over the years. At the age of 70, she was diagnosed with breast cancer which she was treated for successfully and went into remission. She retired in 2014, at the age of 79. Krystyna loved living in the Bow Valley and went on hundreds of treks and hikes, many with the Alpine Club of Canada. In winter, she would spend the majority of her time skiing and knew the ins and outs of surrounding resorts and backcountry tracks by heart.
Krystyna was an avid daily yoga practitioner, went for a walk a day, and started her days with a strong cup of tea and a big bowl of oatmeal. She was cherished by her patients and appreciated by her co-workers. In November 2022, Krystyna was diagnosed with advanced-stage ovarian cancer and after three months of illness, she passed away on Friday, February 3rd, 2023.
She was skilled at delivering humorous one-liners and was cracking jokes with a sly look till the very end. She was determined and tenacious, stubborn, and vibrant. She didn’t just hear but listened to you and she loved with her whole heart. We miss her.
Krystyna is survived by her son, sister, grandsons, niece, and nephew, and a community of friends across Europe and North America.
Photos, memories, and condolences may be shared with Krystyna’s family through evanjstrong.com.
