Dr. John Paul Christy

Dr. John Paul Christy, 82, of Poplar Bluff passed away on March 24, 2020 at his residence, surrounded by loving family.

He was born in Gary, Indiana on Oct. 10, 1937 to the late Paul and Ruth Christy.

He attended Horace Mann School in Gary, Indiana. As an undergraduate at Washington University in Saint Louis, he joined Phi Delta Theta fraternity and threw javelin. During summers, he worked in a steel mill and also as a lifeguard on Lake Michigan. He graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in 1963, where he worked in a neurobiology laboratory with Nobel laureate Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini. He was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society in 1965. He completed a residency in general surgery at Washington University in 1967 after serving as chief resident.

He married Mary Jane Mackley in 1967 in Farmington, Missouri. From 1968-1971, he served as a surgeon and as a Major in the United States Army in Japan during the Vietnam War. After his service, they moved to Poplar Bluff, Missouri to make their home. He became a Fellow of the American College of Surgery in 1974. He attended the First United Methodist Church, and enjoyed fly fishing, tying flies, woodworking, gourmet cooking, and working on the family property. He served the Poplar Bluff community as a general surgeon at Kneibert Clinic and Doctor’s Hospital in Poplar Bluff from 1971 until his retirement in 2000.

He is survived by his wife Mary Jane Christy, his son Dr. Paul Sutherland Christy and daughter-in-law Denise Christy, and his daughter Jennifer Lynn Lee and son-in-law Dr. Jonathan Lee, daughter Mary Ruth Christy and son-in-law Rev. Jay Voorhees, and daughter Lara Anne Christy. He also has six grandchildren, Sylvia Christy, Samuel Christy, Hannah Christy, Caroline Christy, Benjamin Lee and his wife Erica, and Christina Lee. There will be a Celebration of Life Memorial Service on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2020 at Hendrickson Park in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Visitation will begin at 1 p.m. with service to follow beginning at 2:30 p.m. with Reverend David Stewart officiating. Those attending the service may bring an outdoor chair. Additional parking will be available at 13th Street and Davis. In case of inclement weather the visitation and service will be held at United Methodist Church in Poplar Bluff.

A private family graveside service with full military honors will be held in Farmington at Parkview Cemetery at noon on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020.

The family is requiring that all in attendance wear face masks and social distance as much as possible. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requests donations in John’s memory be made to the American Diabetes Association. View the video tribute and share your condolences at cozeanfuneralhome.com.