- Date Of Birth: November 3, 1940
- Date Of Death: January 25, 2021
- State: Texas
Johnnie (John) Gene Hutka was born in Seaton, TX on November 3, 1940 to John Paul and Frances Doris (Kolay) Hutka. He was raised alongside his older brother Gilbert Woodrow and an older sister Helen Frances Bland on a farm in east Bell County, picking cotton and caring for livestock. He grew up only speaking Czech but was so brilliant that he quickly mastered English. His love of learning was evident early in life; as the family did not have a wealth of books at home, John resorted to reading the dictionary.
He attended Seaton school and Seaton Brethren Church as a child. He graduated from Rogers High School in 1958 and earned a B.A. in Biology from Southwestern University in Georgetown in 1963. He did post-graduate work at Baylor where he was admitted to the Beta Beta Beta honorary society of Biology. Employing the work ethic developed working the farm, John put himself through school working a variety of jobs including as an orderly at the hospital changing bed pans and doing the other scut work required so that the nurses and doctors could care for patients.
John earned his MD from University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1968 where he was a member and President of the Phi Beta Pi social fraternity. The hospital cafeteria is where he met his loving wife, Judith (Milner) Hutka, who worked as a pediatric nurse. Knowing that they had found true love, the couple married just 6 months later at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Galveston. After completing his internship in Wichita, Kansas, the couple returned to Temple where he completed his residency in Diagnostic Radiology at Scott and White, during whichtime their first son, John Milner, was born.
His service as a Major in the US Army moved them to Nurnberg, Germany (130 th General Hospital) where their second son, Marcus Deitrich, was born. They enjoyed traveling throughout Europe, where his facility with languages (Czech, German, and Spanish) often came in handy.While in Germany, he was a member of the Bavarian American Radiological Society. After 3 years abroad, they returned to Bell county where their daughter, Katherine Musetta, was born.
He worked as a radiologist for 18 years at King’s Daughters Hospital, eventually becoming Chief of Radiology. While there he served as President of the Clinic, President of the Hospital Medical Staff, and served on the Hospital Board of Trustees as well as numerous hospital committees. Despite the seriousness of his role, he always managed to embrace levity with his coworkers and happily engaged in stress-relieving office hijinks.
In 1994, he transitioned to the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System in Temple where he served as Chief of the Imaging Service and as a member of numerous medical staff committees. As Assistant Clinical Professor of Radiology and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Radiology at Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Medicine, he found joy in teaching medical students and residents. He retired in 2003, but could not tear himself away from his love of medicine and continued working as needed for the following five years. While working, he was a member of the Bell County Medical Society where he served on various committees and was elected President of the Society. He was a member of the Texas Medical Society, Texas Radiological Society, Texas Association of Physicians in Nuclear Medicine, American Medical Association, and the Society of Nuclear Medicine.
Outside of work, he devoted himself to Judy and to raising their three children. Weekends were primarily spent supporting his children’s activities and interests (above all, 4-H shows). He also managed to find time for hunting at the farm, refinishing furniture, and the endless honey-doprojects around the house. He was an avid supporter of Bell County 4-H and Holy Trinity Catholic School. John and Judy were members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, and he was active for many years on their Pastoral Council and as a Fourth Degree Knight of Columbus. Although he was not one to evangelize vocally, his steadfast faith in and close relationship with Christ was evident in everything he did.
Those left to honor and cherish his memory are his wife, Judy; sons Lieutenant Colonel John M. Hutka of Temple and Dr. Marcus Hutka (DVM) and wife Kelli of Navasota; daughter, Dr. Katie (MD) and husband Sam Fiala of Temple; 9 grandchildren, Paul Rylee Hutka, John Reese Hutka, Anna Katherine Fiala, Bryant Thomas Hutka, Benjamin Samuel Fiala, Isabelle Paige Hutka, Haley Rose Hutka, Julia Kolay Fiala, and Elyssa Gene Hutka. Also left to cherish his memory are 3 nieces Wendy Eckert, Victoria Wheeler, and Lori Barr; 2 nephews Larry and Perry Bland; and many other beloved family and friends.
