Aurel Jan Kajlich

size=5 How can 68 years of a life well lived be summed up in a few lines? Aurel (Relo) Kajlich would rather that no one even try, but family and friends, who love him dearly, wish to honor him. size=5 He was born in the midst of 1941 war-torn Europe in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. His father was a talented artist and his mother a respected teacher. After the war his family moved to Piestany, a picturesque spa town, where he experienced an idyllic childhood. Relo was an athletic sportsman until he was struck with rheumatic heart disease as a young teenager. This ailment would set the stage for life-long cardiac valve disease, causing eventual heart and kidney failure. size=5 Relo was never one to allow physical ailments to hold him down or back. He completed his medical degree at the renowned Charles University (Univerzita Karlova) in Prague. He practiced as a psychiatrist for a year before a daring defect to the West with his younger brother, Anton. Relo eventually made his way to Cleveland, Ohio where he worked as an orderly long enough to learn English his fifth language. size=5 Once he passed all the appropriate foreign medical exams in the US, he was accepted as an intern at Doctors Hospital in Seattle. Upon completion he entered a three-year residency in anesthesia medicine at Virginia Mason Hospital, also in Seattle. By his last year of residency, which included a 6-month teaching position in Holland, he had met his wife, Patti. He then accepted an offer to work for the Straub Hospital in Honolulu, Hawaii and the couple started their life together in paradise. size=5 Family and the beautiful Pacific Northwest called them back and Relo became part of the Active medical staff at Stevens Hospital in Edmonds, Washington in 1974 as a fine and respected anesthesiologist. Declining health forced him to retire and he then became Emeritus staff in 1997. size=5 Aurel J. Kajlich has lived a rich life filled with devoted family, loyal friends and many varied interests. He was an admired intellect, a voracious reader, and an articulate debater who believed it was his civic duty to be politically informed. He was so proud to become a US citizen and loved this country with all of his big heart. He even attempted to join the Naval Reserves, but his poor health prevented it. He loved all forms of music and art, enjoyed hunting and fishing with his son and friends, had a passion for great food and was a wonderful cook. size=5 His wife of 37 years, his daughters Bianca and Anya and his son, Andre, adored Relo. Besides his immediate family he is survived by his sister Anna Maria in Sweden, his brother Anton in Australia, and his brother Marcel in Slovakia. There is not a person who isnt better for having known him. There will never be another quite like him. Relo Kajlich will be greatly missed. Announcement: Memorial donations: target=_blank href=http://www.amputee-coalition.org/donate Amputee-Coalition.org . Select: Amputee Coalition for Americas Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp ; complete memorial information in step 2. or send check with notation In Honor of Aurel Kajlich to: / Amputee Coalition of America / 900 E Hill Avenue, Suite 205 / Knoxville, TN 37915