John C. Kindschi

Kindschi, John C. "Jack" MADISON/MAPLE BLUFF-John C. "Jack" Kindschi passed away on Tuesday, May 1, 2007, after a protracted battle with cancer. Jack was born on July 4, 1927, to Lawrence and Hazel Kindschi, of Platteville. Upon graduation from high school in 1945, Jack joined the U. S. Marine Corps, serving with distinction from 1945 until 1948. His overseas assignment was in the Pacific-Asian Theatre, where he was assigned to North China with the First Marine Division as a scout/observer. In 1948, Jack returned to continue his education at the Platteville State Teachers College. Graduating with honors in 1951, he taught economics at Kaukauna for a year before entering Northwestern University, and later, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he was awarded a President Adams Fellowship in Russian History. He graduated in 1953 with a master of arts degree. In 1954, Jack joined the U. S. State Department Foreign Service, a division of the State Department. Soon, he was assigned to Moscow, U.S.S.R., as a staff employee with Ambassador Charles Bohlen, where he worked on a variety of classified projects in support of U.S. Foreign Service policy objectives. In 1955, while on assignment with the U.S. Diplomatic Courier Service, Jack served as principal lead courier for the Geneva Summit. He also spent time with the Tolstoy Foundation in Munich, Germany, structuring and implementing programs designed for the permanent resettlement and rehabilitation of selected Soviet refugees and defectors throughout the Free World. In 1956, while stationed in Frankfurt, Germany, Jack Kindschi met Helen Ann Concannon, who was assigned to the Foreign Operations Administration (FOA) in Washington, D.C. and they were wed in 1957. On May 1, 1958, Jack and Helen welcomed their twins, Kevin and Susan Kindschi, to the world. In 1957, Jack was selected by the Central Intelligence Agency as an operations officer. Over the next 20 years, he served in a variety of sensitive areas and positions in the U.S. and abroad. In 1978, he was appointed chief of the C.I.A. Field Office in Honolulu, Hawaii and retired in 1980 with commendations from the C.I.A. Director for career performance achievements. Jack Kindschi retired from the C.I.A. in 1980, and he and Helen relocated to Madison, in the Maple Bluff community. Helen died in 2001. Jack had remained completely connected to his own band of brothers, the Platteville Boys, his boyhood friends, to the very day of his death. Throughout his life, Jack was keenly interested in world affairs and politics, amassing a fascinating collection of books, literature and videos on political history. A voracious reader, Jack was a complete source on political history in the United States. Since 1969, Jack was an active numismatist. Other interests included his love for music, which Helen, an accomplished pianist, and he shared. He treasured the qualities of integrity and loyalty to his country, his family and his friends. Jack Kindschi is survived by his sister, Jane Kindschi Reid (Arch, deceased) of Geneseo, N.Y. and Venice, Fla.; his son, Kevin (Suzanne) Kindschi of Escondido, Calif.; his daughter, Susan (Al) Kindschi Snyder of Odenton, Md.; his beloved grandchildren, Andrew and Alexa Kindschi of Escondido, Calif.; and a cadre of relatives and friends from throughout Wisconsin and the country. The celebration of Jacks life will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 4, 2007, which would have been his 80th birthday. A light lunch will follow at the VFW, 133 E. Lakeside St., Madison. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either HospiceCare, www.hospicecareinc.com or University of Wisconsin, Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, www.uwhealth.org/cancer. Please send memories to Susan Kindschi Snyder at sksnyder@msn.com. Gunderson Stoughton Funeral & Cremation Centers Hwy. 51 North @ Jackson St. (608) 873-4590 www.gundersonfh.com