John Q. Curtin

John Q. Curtin, a retired physician at Sisters of Charity Hospital, died Friday, October 16 after a prolonged illness. He was 91.

He was of the "Greatest Generation" ?" growing up during the Great Depression. Born in Rochester, he graduated from John Marshall High School.

In WWII, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps and served as a B-17 Navigator for the 384th Bomber Group. He survived a crash-landing in the English Channel, and flew over 25 combat missions targeting strategic factories in Germany. He was shot down over occupied France, and spent over a year in a German POW camp until it was liberated by the Allies. He was decorated with a Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and an Air Medal With Oak Leaf Clusters. Always the humble man, he never boasted about any of it.

After his service, John attended the University of Rochester and the University of Notre Dame, and received a degree in medicine from SUNY Medical Center College of Medicine in Brooklyn.

Dr. Curtin served as an internist in Buffalo-area hospitals, with a 38-year career as an attending physician at Sisters, serving as President of the Medical Staff in 1980. He specialized in internal medicine and pulmonary disease, and his private practice spanned nearly 50 years.

He belonged to the American Thoracic Society, American College of Physicians, Fellow American College of Chest Physicians, and Medical Society of Erie County. An avid crossword puzzle enthusiast, John was also a member of Mensa. He loved to sail on the Great Lakes and the Caribbean.

Survivors include Esther, his beloved wife of 53 years, sons John, David and Paul, daughter Nancy, and sister Mildred Boylan of Pittsford, NY. His sister recently recalled that John was "unfailingly thoughtful and an attentive listener, qualities that contributed to his success as a doctor."

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Saints Peter & Paul Church in Williamsville on Tuesday, October 20, followed by interment at Saints Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Cemetery.