![]() ESSEX FELLS, NJ - The family of Dr. Jan Huston-Pryor, of Essex Fells, have announced that both she and her dog Peter-Paul were killed tragically while they were walking along Devon Road in the Fells on the morning of Tuesday, Mar. 21.Peter-Paul ![]() While her family has been deeply saddened by their loss, the surrounding community has also been greatly affected by her passing. Earlier this week, students at Essex Fells School, West Essex Middle School, and West Essex High School dressed in pink to display their solidarity with Jan's family. Essex Fells Mayor Ed Abbot also reflected on Dr. Jan Huston-Pryor's life and her relationship to the community. Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to her husband, Jonathan, Born in Decatur, Illinois, Jan was raised in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and went on to earn her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Michigan State University, followed by her Masters of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from Western Michigan University. Jan practiced as a nurse and then, at the age of 28, decided to greatly enhance her medical studies, again at Michigan State. A 2009 Star Ledger article quoted her as stating, "I said to myself: 'All these jerk doctors can do it? I can be a doctor." After receiving her medical degree, Dr. Huston practiced as a vascular and general surgeon at Millburn Surgical Associates. She ultimately realized her professional calling was to dedicate her life to provide diagnosis and surgical treatment of breast disease. Jan considered it a privilege to be a doctor, At the age of 49, Dr. Huston-Pryor founded Summit Breast Care in 1999 specifically to offer affordable medical attention for women suffering with the devastation of breast cancer. Patients, including those who were uninsured, were able to receive attention in several offices across Northern New Jersey. Jan Huston was my doctor for many years Beginning in 2007, Dr. Huston-Pryor also served for seven years as Medical Director of the Connie Dwyer Breast Center, located at St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark. The state-of-the-art facility had only been opened three years earlier as a designation for expert diagnosis and treatment of breast disease. There, Huston-Pryor was able to offer her patients rapid turnaround with diagnostic testing and importantly, for those who had their cancerous breast tissue removed, she was able to perform reconstructive oncoplastic surgery using plastic surgery techniques so that the full healing process could begin. Dr. Jan Huston headed our Connie Dwyer Breast Center from 2007-2014. ![]() Dr. Huston-Pryor then went on to serve as Medical Director, and surgeon, at Mountainside Hospital's Breast Center where she continued her work focusing on prevention, screening, and treatment. Dr. Huston-Pryor recently became part of a national investigative medical pilot study called Breathlink. Intended as a method of detection supplemental to the mammogram procedure, Breathlink has been called a "billion times more sensitive" than the alcohol breathilizer test by its developer Dr. Michael Phillips, of Newark. Dr. Huston-Pryor utilized the study at both Mountainside's breast center and the Connie Dwyer Breast Center. With a heavy heart, we say goodbye to Mountainside Medical Group Physician, Dr. Jan Huston, Medical Director of our Breast Center. Over the course of time, Jan and her husband Jonathan had twelve children, including ten adopted from Texas, Guatemala, Mexico, Russia, China, and Ethiopia. Confident in her deep Faith and strong marriage, Jan's Family Jan was pre-deceased by her parents, John and Alice Huston, and her beloved horse, Rocky Jan is survived by:
A close family friend, Garrett Jones, has encouraged friends and loved ones to bring LED candles to First Presbyterian Church that Jan's family members can bring back with them to their homes. "Many of us have LED candles in our homes, Memorial Arrangements The memorial arrangements for Dr. Jan Huston-Pryor are as follows:
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Codey & Jones Funeral Home of Caldwell. Notes of sympathy may be written to the family online here. Memorial Donations In lieu of flowers, donations to the First Presbyterian Church at Caldwell would be greatly appreciated:
![]() The West Essex High School Varsity Softball Team honored Dr. Huston-Pryor by wearing matching pink wristbands during the scrimmage. "Dr. Huston was my doctor. Comments are closed.
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