Family was his deepest joy

Published February 4, 2021

DENISON, TEXAS — John Edward Waitt, 59, of Denison, Texas, formerly of North Reading, Massachusetts, died from complications of COVID-19 following a five-week battle against the virus that has claimed the lives of millions. The final beat of his heart here on earth occurred at 10:22 a.m. on January 9, 2021 at Texoma Medical Center in Denison. He was surrounded by his wife and children.

John was born on June 17, 1961 to Richard and Marilyn Waitt in Melrose, Massachusetts. He is survived by his wife, Krista, of Denison, Texas; sons, Michael and his wife Stephanie of Sherman, Texas; Johnny and his wife Hailee of McKinney, Texas; Braden Mundkowski of Denison, Texas; and Kysen Mundkowski of Denison, Texas; Kristi Atnip, mother of Johnny and Michael; his mother, Marilyn Waitt of Clifton Park, New York; his brother, Richard Waitt and his wife Patrice of Wilmington, Massachusetts; his sisters, Donna Estes of Williamsburg, Virginia; Terry Waitt and her life partner Dee Bobersky of Clifton Park, New York; and Mary Sutton of Clifton Park, New York. He is also survived by his nieces and nephews, David and Amy Miller and Estelle and Sean of Williamsburg, Virginia; Kelly and Vince Karamanov of St. Louis, Missouri; Charlie and Lindsay Waitt, Chuck, and Hailey of Pelham, New Hampshire; Brad and Renee Hodgson, Sam and Maddie of Tewksbury, Massachusetts; Andrew and Colleen Sutton, and Emma of Mechanicville, New York; Christopher and Stephanie Sutton of Albany, New York; and countless friends and extended family.

John was preceded in death by his father, Richard Waitt, and his brother-in-law, Rick Estes, husband of sister Donna.

John was raised in North Reading, graduated from the University of Lowell and moved to Denison, Texas in 1983 to begin his career as a Physical Therapist at Texoma Medical Center. The Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics and Bruins were a bit more than a passion for him, and he remained a devoted fan despite almost 40 years in Texas.

While his love of all things New England never faded, he made a good life in Texas and was beloved by his family and community. His smile was contagious, he always had an encouraging word to share, and his level of compassion for others was unsurpassed. He loved his family, friends and his Jesus wholeheartedly.

John was more than a loving husband and father. He loved best and he loved big. His family was his deepest joy. As a father, his love was unconditional. He supported each son wholeheartedly in each of their endeavors be they sports, the arts, music, academia or anything else. He was their biggest fan no matter the stage. He bragged on each of them every chance he got – to family, to friends, to patients, to strangers. His love for his children was obvious to all. He always had a dad joke at the ready. He loved his boys and was overjoyed to welcome two daughters into his family when Michael and Johnny married their wives, Stephanie, and Hailee.

John chose to start his parenting years over with a then 8-year-old Braden and 6-year-old Kysen, in 2007, when he and Krista wed. He did a wonderful job loving and raising his two new sons as he did his older two. He blended and led their family well. To say he was a proud dad is an understatement. He was the best dad ever.

As a husband, he was immeasurably devoted. He loved Krista with all his heart and soul during their 14 years together. He brought her a joy she could never have imagined and cannot adequately put into words, but anyone who met John knew he loved his wife deeply and passionately. No marriage is perfect, but this later in life marriage was as close as it comes.

As a son, brother and uncle, John was geographically distant but close at heart to his family. He loved each of them and was always excited to board a plane to go celebrate weddings, graduations and other family moments. He may not have seen or spoken to each of these family members as frequently as he wanted, but his love for them never wavered.

As a Physical Therapist, John did more than merely rehabilitate or strengthen his patients. He cared for them on a personal level, becoming friends with many and going out of his way to help them in non-patient care ways such praying with them, picking up lunch for them and even delivering cases of water to a sweet homebound lady for many months after he stopped seeing her professionally. His patients were never a number that ended up on a paycheck; they were people with physical, emotional and spiritual needs, all of which he worked tirelessly to meet as best he could.

As a friend, he was practically perfect. He would do anything for his friends and be there in any moment of need. Never an ounce of judgment came from him, never an angry word, never a lack of forgiveness for any wrong or mistake made. Always a smile, always a kind word, always good advice and always supportive – that was John in friendship. To have John as a friend is to have been richly blessed.

Finally, as a believer, John was unashamed of our Lord Jesus. He was a Deacon, Sunday school teacher, men’s Bible study leader, and longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Denison. He truly found the Lord while working as Rehab Director at TMC, praying to receive Jesus in his office with a dear friend and colleague in the early ‘90s. From that moment on, John exhibited all the good traits of a Christian man, sharing Jesus with many using actual words, but more importantly, sharing Jesus by demonstrating love and compassion and honoring the Lord in his everyday actions. John said many times, “If someone who knows me (even a little) asks if I’m a Christian, my response should be, ‘I’m sorry you had to ask.’” One only had to be around him a moment to know he was a Jesus follower. This is his greatest legacy.

Krista and the family would like to extend their deepest thanks to the staff of Texoma Medical Center CVICU and COVID ICU who treated John for the last 33 days of his life. She states, “They provided the absolute best care to give my husband the best chance at survival. They gave me and our family more days with him than we would have had if he were anywhere else. John would not have received this level of medical expertise, treatment, compassion, and love in any other facility, of this we have no doubt. TMC was the best place for him, and the staff was stellar. They fought as hard as they possible could for his recovery and were devastated their efforts could not overcome the destruction COVID-19 caused to his body. These men and women are forever family, now.”

John Waitt was one of the good ones.

A memorial and celebration of life was held at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 14, 2021 at Southside Baptist Church in Denison.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in John’s memory to the Jimmy Fund in Boston (jimmyfund.org) or Reba’s Ranch House in Denison (rebasranchhouse.org).

Arrangements are under the direction of Fisher Funeral Home in Denison. Condolences may be registered online at www.fisherfh.com.