Krystyna Danuta Iwaszkiewicz Rytel MD
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April 24,1934 to August 28, 2019
Born April 24, 1934 in Warsaw, Poland to Edward and Danuta Iwaszkiewicz. When she was just five years old, the Nazis invaded Poland triggering World War II. Krystyna along with her mother and grandmother survived the brutal Nazi occupation of Warsaw without her father, an economist, who was forced into exile in London with the Polish government. After the war, she earned an MD degree from the University of Warsaw. During her college years she had a brief career as a model and actress appearing in one feature film. Afterwards she emigrated to the US to join her parents in New York City where her father worked as part of the UNICEF team that won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1965. She completed her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Rusk Institute. Soon afterward, Krystyna married Michael Walter Rytel, MD, also a Polish immigrant, occupation survivor, and physician. Together they had two children Michael Jan Rytel, MD and Dorothy Noelle Rytel Rasmussen. After taking time away from work to raise her children, she completed a residency in Psychiatry at the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1976. She then went into private practice at the Milwaukee Psychiatric Hospital where she worked until retirement in 1992. Krystyna was blessed with five grandchildren Kelly Rasmussen (fiance Bret Tidball), Luke Rasmussen (fiance Andrea Mertens), Matthew Rytel, Krystyna Noelle Rytel, and Brinna Rasmussen. A survivor of both ovarian and breast cancer she lived on as a beloved mother and grandmother. Krystyna loved the theatre and spent many years as a volunteer at the Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove. Her other great love was animals and she could not pass a dog without saying hello. Once an excellent tennis player and skier she remained a diehard sports fan, and supported the Packers until her passing. Her easy sense of humor will live on with her surviving family who say once again, "we love you more...". Services to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to The Sunset Playhouse, 700 Wall Street, Elm Grove, WI, 53122. Or online at sunsetplayhouse.com.