John Philip Christman
October 22, 1943 ~ May 9, 2015
John Philip Christman
Of Leonardtown, MD passed away peacefully on May 9, 2015 in Baltimore, MD. Born on October 22, 1943 Alexandria, VA. He was the son to the late Catherine Just and Julian Hackney Christman. He is preceded in death by his daughter, Kathryn Leigh Christman.
He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Mrs. Linda ‘Kay’ Christman; Son John Philip Christman Jr. of New Braunfels, TX; Daughter Catherine ‘Cassie’ Corinne Edwards and her Husband Chad of Spring, TX; brother J.J. Christman and wife Betty, Athens, TN; Charles ‘Charlie’ E Christman and wife Joyce, Hollywood, MD.; three grandsons and nieces and nephews.
John served in the United States Air Force and was honorably discharged on June 25, 1965. He was hired by the Maryland State Police on January 3, 1966. He was initially assigned road patrol duties after graduation from the academy in St. Mary’s County. John had many different assignments to include transporting State dignitaries and criminal investigations. While performing his road patrol duties he started his fixed wing flying lessons. John obtained a commercial helicopter rating in the early spring 1977. Once he completed his training on his own time and expense he submitted a transfer request to the Maryland State Police Aviation Command. He was transferred to the Command on September 12, 1977. After completing his flight training he was assigned to Trooper 2 at Andrews Air Force Base
John became a helicopter pilot instructor in 1979 and assigned as the section flight instructor. Every new pilot transferred within the Command had to work with him. Flying the Washington airspace was very complicated navigating the various helicopter routes and airspace restrictions.
In 1987, John established and commanded the Southern Maryland Section until he retired in March 1, 1990. He was required to attend several meetings working with the local Fire and Rescue Squads in the Tri-County area educating the providers about the services being provided. After his retirement as a sworn member of the Maryland State Police, John was the second civilian helicopter pilot hired. He continued to work at the Southern Maryland Section for an additional 23 years. John served the citizens of the State of Maryland for 46 years.
John enjoyed traveling across the country with his wife and dogs (Effie and Angie). He enjoyed the quiet time of reading and resting with his cat ‘Callie’. John’s true love was flying and providing flight instructions to those wanting to learn to fly. John just started learning karate and had obtained his ‘yellow’ belt at the young age of 71. Additionally, John and Kay enjoyed visiting their beloved horses at the quaint Six M Farm in Anne Arundel County.
John was a devoted husband and best friend to Mrs. Kay Christman since they were married on June 5, 1976. Kay has been by his side for over 40 years and wishes to express her sincere appreciation to everyone caring for John. A very special thanks to Tabitha Mattingly, who was considered a daughter to John and Kay.
Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the St. Mary’s County Fire Board Association and St. Mary’s County Rescue Squad Association.
A visitation will be held from 4:30pm to 8:00pm with prayers at 7:00pm on Wednesday, May 13th at the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, 41590 Fenwick Street, Leonardtown, MD. 20650. Services will be held on May 14th at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 22800 Washington Street, Leonardtown, MD 20650 at 10:00am. Interment will follow at the Joy Chapel Cemetery 44238 Joy Chapel Road, Hollywood Md. 20636.
Pallbearers: Claude Boushey, Michael Hodgson, Michael Gartland, Jeffrey LeDonne, Curtis Ott, and Nathan Wheelock.
Honorary pallbearers: All past and present members of the Maryland State Police Aviation Command.
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Dear Kay and Family,
My heart grieves for you and your loss of John. He was a very special person. I always admired him in many ways. His love of his “Furry Friends” and nature with all the plants and colors is only one of his many gifts. May God bless you. You are in my deepest prayers and thoughts.
Sincerely,
Father John
my friend, Kay. We go back so many years ago. I remember all the memories of you and John at the hospital working. He was a great person and you were the love of his life. My prayers for you in these hard days without him beside you. Sweet memories. Dianne
Dear Kay and family, may John soar with the eagles and rest in the arms of the Lord. His work here is done and will never be forgotten. May the Grace, Peace and Love of God and the respect of John’s extended MSP/EMS/FIRE family and friends bring you comfort and strength.
Dear Kay and Family
Our most sincere condolence on your great loss of Johnny. He was a wonderful person who during his time as a police office helped many citizens and always wore a smile. Our thoughts and prayers are with all the family and may God give you strength and love and may all your wonderful memories help get you through this most sad and difficult time. God bless you all.
Wayne and Joan Thompson
Dear Kay and Family:
Our condolences on your loss of “John”. He was a unique individual and leaves a big void in the extended MSP/EMS communities.
John was a fun loving guy and will be truly misses.
May God give you strength through these difficult times.
Kay you have our deepest heartfelt condolences. John was a great guy he will be sorely missed. He leaves a great legacy within the Law Enforcement community. There are countless people in the tri county area that owe there lives to John Christman and his flying abilities and he continues to serve the people by the members that he trained.
Dear Kay, John will be missed. He was such a great asset to the Aviation Divison. We have a lot of memories of the old Aviation Division. I lost Henry Hagey 5 years ago (one of John’s friends)I do know what you are going thru and if you would like to talk or need comfort, I am there for you. Donna Hagey rumbler@comcast.net. You are in my thoughts and prayers. This is very hard I know, but with the support of family and friends you will survive this loss.
Kay and family, Our love and prayers are with you all. You and John had a very full life and it was full of love and wonderful memories. We are here if you need us. God Bless and love always.
Dear Kay: Gary and I wish to extend our deepest sympathy to you and your family. We will remember John as a friend who was always smiling and helpful. We wish you peace and you will be in our prayers.
Kay and family, I didn’t know Johnny that well–just by chance encounters out and about and thru the church, but he was a delight to be around. He always seemed to be upbeat and positive and brought a smile to all faces. His light truly shone and he will be much missed. God Bless You and give you peace through this difficult time.
Dear Kay, I’m so sorry for your loss, John was a great person. He has now earned his wings to be your angel watching over you! If you need anything please let me know!
I remember John when he was a street policeman in the county and then also saw him quite often when we had to set up landing sites for his helo. He never failed to give me a wave hello and whenever I saw him out he always had time to talk. I think of all the lives he helped to save with his excellent flying abilities getting patients safely to the hospital. Speaking for the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department we offer our deepest condolences to Kay and the rest of his family. As someone said on here now he soars with eagles.
Rest In Peace Brother. Your smile and friendship will be missed. Condolences for the family and friends. God Bless
Dearest Kay, Sometimes there are no words to express our feelings and this is one of them. John meant the world to both of us. I had the pleasure of working with him two weeks ago on a small job for the church and he made we laugh so hard. He had a wonderful sense of humor and his personally was larger then life itself. He will be so sorely missed by all of us at HUMC. Please feel free to call on either of us for any help you may need in the future. Joyce and Rich Williams
Dear Kay and family and many friends, Our sincerest sympathy. He was such a GREAT MAN and we are so sad to hear of his passing.
May God reward him greatly now for all the many kind things he did for so many during his lifetime. We have wonderful memories of him and cherish every one of them. We send you our love, thoughts and prayers.
Dear Kay- We were deeply saddened to hear of John’s passing. Our deepest condolences go out to you and your family. We will always remember his friendly greetings and his kindness with Abby. If we can help with anything big or small, please know that we are here if you need us.
Johnny was one of the good guys and he will be missed by many. Harley and I got to know him many years ago when we were involved with EMS and our respect for him over the years continued to grow. He always had that big smile and a hug for me and a firm hand shake for Harley. We will miss him sharing the pew in front of us with Charlie and his family on Sunday mornings. Kay. our love and prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Our deepest sympathy to you Kay. John was such an awesome man. He was always so polite and appreciative when he came in to see us. We all just loved the way he treated you, such a pure gentleman. As many have said, he now has his forever wings. There is no doubt he is watching over you,he will always be there in your heart. Please reach out to us if you need anything,we are here for you. May God give you strength.
Terry, Dee, Jess & all of John’s girls at Three Notch.
Dear Kay,
We are very sorry for your loss and we will miss our friend over the fence when we are down visiting Alissa, Scott and Dean. Abby will especially miss the snacks John would give her. St. Mary’s County is a better place because of heroes like John. If you need anything, we are just up the hill.
Kay to lose John like this is just devastating. We miss him so much already – from seeing him walking the girls at night to working in the yard in his ratty old clothes. He was always there with a smile and quick to ask how the kids were doing. We are always here for you. And he will always be there with you. Take care.
My deepest condolence to Cassie Christman Edwards, and John Phillip Christman Jr. I know the sorrow you share, in many ways. You are the best gift he ever gave me, and I will be there for you. I love you dearly, Love, Mom
Kay, My heart aches for you and my prayers sure are with Johnny, I have known that guy since my Dad and he worked together at the Old Control Center. Such a wonderful Gentleman and you were his life. he truely cherished you. We have been friends a very long time “like our life time”. and you know all you need to do is call. We love you. The county will never be the same without that wonderful smile . RIP Johnny our prayers and Love.
Kay, I am so, so sorry for your loss of John. Words cannot convey my hope that you find the peace that is beyond our understanding and are comforted by your tremendous love for each other. John truly had that rarest gift of a huge heart with the desire to make our world a better place. His smile was worth a million words! Know that you are loved and may you find comfort in what you accomplished together….
I had the good future to work with John on many accident scenes. Both as a Road Trooper and as Pilot of Trooper 7. I was always glad when I saw it was him that we were working with at any incident. He was easy to work with and a true friend of Fire/EMS Services.
Thank you John for all you did for us. God blessed us with you. May he now take you to your Heavenly reward. God Bless those that you leave behind.
When I broke my neck in 1981, I was refusing to fly with the Park Police because I “only fly with the State Police.” Kay was working the ER and called John to come convince me to fly. In walks John with the pilot of the Park Police Chopper to convince me to fly…to save my life. He convinced me and off I went. That is the sort of man John was. I will forever be grateful for the lifetime friendship I have had with John and Kay. His ever present smile and positive attitude were two of his many wonderful traits. Fly on my friend, fly on!
Our sincere condolences to the Christman family. We are thinking of you and will continue to keep you in our prayers. RIP Johnny!
Kay (and extended family),
Janet and I extend our deepest sympathies on the loss of John. Our few years as your next-door neighbors on Springhouse Lane were always enjoyable. I never saw John without a smile on his face, he seemed always to be in a good mood, and loved talking about his favorite pastime, flying! Janet and I will remember John with fond thoughts, and hope your (and friends and family’s) memories of him will help as you greive. All our best.
Kay,
We send our deepest sympathies. John was a wonderful, kind man. He will not be forgotten. He was dedicated to helping others and will be greatly missed.
Kay I am so sorry for your loss. It is still,so hard to believe that John is gone. John was such a kind person and would do anything for anyone, I can still hear him saying “now Debbie”. John has left us with so many wonderful memories that we will treasure for a lifetime. Just remember that God will,not give you more than you can handle. I know that is hard to believe but you have so many friends including myself who will be there to help you through this difficult time. I am only a phone call away. Love ya.
Kay & family, we are so sorry to hear of your loss of John. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this sad time. God bless all of you.
John taught me to fly. I will always remember him sitting next to me in the aircraft many years ago teaching me the finer points of being an aviator. A true gentleman. I am sorry I did not hear about his passing until now and will miss the prayers and the funeral. God bless John and may he rest in peace.
John Guazzo
Kay, my condolences, thoughts and prayers are sent your way on behalf of the loss of your beloved husband John. I met John many years ago and he was so enjoyable and uplifting to talk with. His dedication to you as well as our community, our county and our country is well known. John left his mark on many lives in a positive manner for which he will be remembered for years to come.
Dear Kay,
So sorry to hear of your loss. I worked with John after being assigned to the Leonardtown Barrack following Graduation from the Academy in 1977. He was always pleasant and great to have around. He will be sorely missed. You and family are in my thoughts and prayers.
I am very sorry to hear of his death. While I did not know him well I grew up very close to him, Jay Jay and Chrlie.