Tana Piontek

Tana Lou Piontek was a proud Army brat from before she was born! She explained that she was conceived in England while her father (USMA at West Point Class of 1941) was stationed there, accompanied by his family. By nine months later he was assigned to the Presidio in San Francisco at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. They had found a home just to the north in the community of San Rafael. The closest military hospital to their home was located at Hamilton Air Force Base, which is where she was born. She already had two older brothers, Steve and Dan.

A pivotal event occurred at that time which would define her entire life, and indeed, even beyond into eternity. She was born with a serious congenital heart condition known as a PDA, a medical acronym for Patent Ductus Arteriosis, where an opening between her Aorta and her Pulmonary Artery, which is normal in the womb, never closed within an hour or two after birth like it should have. The Doctors attending to her birth either never checked, or did check and missed it. This meant that 20% of her blood would bypass going to her lungs to get oxygenated and instead go back out to her body deprived of oxygen. Her body, fearfully and wonderfully made, compensated in amazing ways, but as she grew, and Eisenmenger's Syndrome also developed, this caused significant limitations for her. When she couldn't keep up with other kids in the playground at school, her parents realized something was significantly wrong, and Doctors finally diagnosed the PDA when she was in her early teens. Her parents were told that there was nothing they could do at that point, and that she would not live through her teens or early twenties at the latest.

As Christians with no other recourse, they prayed, and took her to Kathryn Kuhlman healing services in Los Angeles several times. Tana would explain that she could not recall feeling any sensation or physical difference at the time. But the sparkle in her pretty blue eyes was ignited, which everyone who knew her as her life went on, would recognize and love about her. Her explanation was: "That lady made Jesus real to me!", and she received Him into her heart as her Savior and Lord.

About ten years later, as she continued to live and breathe, she went to a new cardiologist, who examined her and was astounded. His assessment was that he couldn't explain it medically, but something had happened about ten years prior which had caused her descending medical graveyard spiral to level off. She knew what it was. Her life was not easy, but she lived a relatively normal life... and she kept living through her 20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, and 60's, and turned 70 the summer before she was called back into the arms of Jesus. God had done healing work in her body, granting her an additional 50 years beyond her original prognosis.

It was her life's testimony, which she would tell to anyone who was willing to listen. Her testimony to God's faithfulness continues even now that her life on earth is over, as the story is retold and people read about it here. Her Cardio-Pulmonary team at Scripps Green and Scripps Memorial hospitals in La Jolla, CA took great care of her, and presented her case at medical conferences at different places around the world as one of very few people in the world who had lived so long with that condition.

But even when she went on hospice six months prior... not because of heart or lung or kidney failure, though at risk for all of those things, but because of an untreatable new diagnosis of myeloma (bone marrow) cancer in April of 2024. On her last day in the hospital, when she had just been referred to and accepted hospice, the medical team, as they came in to say goodbye to one of their favorite patients (because she was always so upbeat), would shrug, smile sheepishly, and say "we don't know" when asked point blank how and why she had survived so long! Though she was referred to hospice due to the cancer not being treatable, (treatments involved IVs which would fill her body with fluids, which her heart could not tolerate), her cause of death was not the cancer. She died in her husband Dave's arms due to sudden cardiac and respiratory arrest almost simultaneously, which he observed as it happened. She was laying on her back and had closed her eyes, with a relaxed and peaceful look on her face a moment later.

Tana's Life Chronology

After her birth in San Rafael, her father was teaching at the Presidio. They continued to live there during 1957-58 while her father was assigned unaccompanied to Vietnam. In 1959 they moved to Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX, where she learned to swim, and her little brother Kevin was born.

In 1960, they moved to France where her father was assigned to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), and lived near Versailles. She had memories of the Atlantic crossing on a ship. She also remembered vividly the family traveling around Europe and getting to see interesting and exciting, but also sometimes somber places like Keukenhof Gardens in Amsterdam, Holland, Garmisch, Berchtesgaden, and Dachau in Germany, the Matterhorn, Florence (saw David), and the Tower of Pizza in Italy, the Eiffel Tower and well known churches in France. She also remembers a bunker where they had to go during the Cuban Missile Crisis. She went to a French kindergarten, then went to an American School in Paris during 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. She loved school because she particularly loved her 2nd grade teacher. She had lost conversational French when older, but even not too long before she died, she could still recite in French a poem she learned in those early grade school years called "O Jardin"

In 1964, they moved again to Fort Totten, in the New York City borough of Queens.

In 1966 her father retired from the Army and they moved for the final time to the Del Cerro area of San Diego, and bought a house on Bounty St in Princess Del Cerro.

She went to elementary and middle school in nearby Allied Gardens and was graduated from also nearby Patrick Henry high school in San Diego. She chose not to attend college, but her voracious reading habits gave her a broad range of knowledge. She began attending Calvary Chapel San Diego, founded by Pastor Mike McIntosh when he came to San Diego from Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa (Pastor Chuck Smith) for that purpose, when it was located at the old North Park theater. That eventually became Horizon Christian Fellowship in the Clairemont area of San Diego. When Pastor Leo Giovinetti, one of the assistant pastors there, started Mission Valley Christian Fellowship, she began attending there.

Her first husband Greg Seyfried died young in 1999, at only 40, after they were married for 16 years. They lived in the Del Cerro community and attended Mission Valley Christian Fellowship with Pastor Leo, where they had met. They were married in Balboa Park.

Her first job after high school was at an artisan pottery shop in Old Town San Diego. She later went on to work at Kaiser hospital in the Mission Gorge area as a medical pathology transcriptionist, where interestingly through a scheduling fluke, she ended up writing her own oncology report for malignant melanoma in the upper calf area. It was successfully removed surgically and she became a cancer survivor. She stopped working after Greg died.

After a time of grieving she began attending Maranatha Chapel for Wednesday evening services. Though she didn't look like much of a biker chick, she first got involved with the motorcycle ministry which existed there at the time, and rode on the back seat for some exhilarating and scenic rides. After a few hair-raising experiences, she decided to try something a little more up her alley - interacting with people through the ushers/greeters ministry. That is where and how she met David Piontek, and also where they first held hands and shared their first kiss. Neither of them were "looking", but were willing to let the Lord write their story... which He did! They both had adventurous interests, see below for their aviation connection. She married Dave on July 7, 2002 officiated by Pastor Peter Barnes at the historic Bernardo Winery in Rancho Bernardo, CA. They lived there in RB, and worshiped at Maranatha Chapel with Pastor Ray Bentley and then his son Daniel in RB for all 23 years of their marriage.

They honeymooned on a cruise to Alaska onboard the Dawn Princess, flying to Anchorage, then traveling by bus to board the ship in Seward. They had adventurous port calls at Skagway, Ketchikan, and Junea, and watched glaciers calving majestically along the way. The cruise ended in Vancouver B.C., where they stayed an extra night to visit one of Tana's favorite places, Butchart Gardens in Victoria.

She loved her family history, and through her mother's side of the family, she was able to trace her ancestry in America back to the Mayflower. She was eligible to become a Daughter of the American Revolution (DAR) but never formally pursued it. This however, gave her a keen interest in genealogy. The last family gathering (including her cousin Mark Howe and others on the Howe side) she was able to attend on February 28, 2026, less than two weeks prior to her passing into eternity with Jesus, was largely focused on sharing genealogical info and family history with original photos and letters.

Tana's Interests, Favorites, and Activities

She loved, Believed In, and followed Jesus as her Lord and Savior with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength!

She loved God's Word the Bible, Prophecy, and the apple of His eye, the Jewish people, the lineage of her Messiah. With prophecy comprising some 30% of the Bible, she and Dave actively looked for opportunities to learn, and attended many conferences and studies. Some of their favorites were the Hope For Today conferences put on by David Hocking and hosted by both her own church Maranatha Chapel, and also Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, pastored by Jack Hibbs. She and Dave also like to attend events like the Passover Seders held at both Maranatha and the local Messianic Synagogue Kehilat Ariel.

Life verse: Isaiah 40:31

Other favorite verses: Job 19:25-27, Romans 11:33-36

Favorite Bible Chapters: 1 Corinthians 15, Isaiah 53, Psalm 24, Psalm 105

Favorite Books of the Bible: Colossians, Job, Revelation, Hebrews

She traveled to Israel with her church, walked the streets of Jerusalem and saw the Galilee and other places in The Land.

She went on Missions trips to Mexico and Ireland

She and Dave enjoyed volunteering and supporting Samaritan's Purse headed up by Franklin Graham, Billy Graham's son.

They helped with recovery efforts through that ministry after one of the big San Diego fires, and also worked with their Operation Christmas Child ministry, collecting and processing shoe boxes full of gifts, sundries, and the Gospel message for children all over the world. They started doing this together before even being married, and continued to one degree or another through out most of their marriage.

She loved reading and supporting the geo-political insight (both novels and real-life) of author Joel Rosenberg, especially his ministry "The Joshua Fund"'s work in Israel. She and Dave attended one of his Epicenter Conferences when it was held in San Diego at the SDSU arena.

She also loved reading and supporting the Messianic Ministry of author Jonathan Cahn, and she was able to listen to him teach several times in San Diego, including at Maranatha Chapel.

Tana was an Animal Lover and they loved her, especially with the realization that her heart condition would prevent her from ever being able to have children of her own. Just as she loved people and made friends easily, she did the same with God's creatures. Especially all kinds of Cats (besides the house cats she had since little like Shiloh, Pixie, Zeek and Coco, she loved Black Panthers, Cougars, and Cheetahs which she would have tamed if she could have), but also Dogs, Horses, Birds (favorites were CA Quail, Bald Eagle, Hummingbird, and Swan), Hamsters, Alligator Lizards, and non-venomous snakes. But.. she hated all spiders! After April 2020 when her inherited pet dog Sasha (Corgi/Terrier mix) died, the many wild birds living around the front and back patios of her home became her family to care for. She could easily let them consume a 40lb sack of bird seed in a month! Her favorite sound was the purring of a cat.

Tana was an avid reader. She kept a handwritten list of all the books she had ever read, and they numbered 551! The very first ones were dated 1966 - the Hardy Boys series! They ranged from The Hobbit and Mere Christianity to Disraeli to historical and mystery novels, to Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, and World War II history, to classics like Homers Odyssey, and everything in between. She read a number of them more than once, and tracked that. The very last book on the list was "Deadline" by John Sanford, which she finished on 2/26/26, only about two weeks before she died.

On her list of favorites were: The Bible, Les Miserable, and Uncle Tom's Cabin

Her favorite type of books were Historical Novels and Mystery Novels

She also loved Atlases and maps which she kept handy, and would pick it up whenever she heard about a place she did not know about, to look up where it was.

Quilting was a major part of Tana's life. She loved working with the fabrics, the colors, and the intricacy of fitting and then sewing the pieces together. She loved that the end result was something that the person they were intended for could drape over or wrap around themselves for warmth and comfort - not only from the cloth, but from the many quiet prayers that went into each one. And she made a great many of them. She found ways and work-arounds to persist even when her physical limitations made it very difficult. It was one of the ways she loved and cared for people. The smile and look on her face when she finished one and held it up said it all. And she loved the ladies in the quilting groups she belonged to for decades, who all worked together doing the same thing. She expressed creativity in a lot of ways, but this was one of her top gifts.

Tana loved gardening in general and flowers especially… growing and arranging them. She had a proverbial green thumb in spades. Some of her favorite childhood memories were of helping her father in the yard and learning from him how to grow them and from her mother to arrange them. She knew many different kinds by sight and by their names. Favorites were a tie at first place between Sweet Pea and Queen Anne's Lace, Peonea in second, Ranunculus in third, and Wisteria in fourth. She was not so fond of red roses, but preferred them in her favorite colors of peach or yellow. Flower smells she loved the most were Sweet Pea, Pink Amyrilla, and Gardenia. She had other favorites in the plant world, such as Ivy, and Deodara, Liquid Amber, and Ponderosa Pine trees.

Tana loved the wilderness and National Parks and had many fond memories (and photo albums) of family camping trips visiting them. One of her favorites was the long drive from New York to San Diego, when she was 11 in 1966, right after her father retired from the Army. A culmination event happened in her later life, celebrating her mother's 90th birthday in 2009 with a family gathering where all stayed in the main suite at the crown jewel of the National Park Lodges, the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite National Park. There in April her mother's birthday month, the waterfalls were roaring, and there was a memorable highlight where in view out of the big picture windows, snow clumps the size of cottonballs were gently falling straight down from the sky, across the whole valley. It was unforgettable.

Tana loved flying in small airplanes with her husband Dave as the pilot - it was their first date, whale watching off of the coast of La Jolla from the air, and also how they got engaged. He proposed on an early flight from Borrego Valley airport to Ocotillo Wells dry lakebed for breakfast - and the Lord blessed them with a spectacular sunrise that morning! They flew numerous times over the years sightseeing around Southern California, and made trips to Catalina Island, Monterey Bay, and Thousand Oaks for family gatherings where her brother and later her mother lived. They also made one memorable training trip for Dave to Death Valley in November, visiting her good friends Ron and Jodi, who were working for the National Park Service at the time. With her love of maps and charts, she had a very keen sense of direction, and would often hold the aviation chart that Dave used for navigation to find landmarks and point them out. Incidentally, she loved AAA and would go there to get their latest maps before we drove anywhere in the car as well.

Tana loved shopping and volunteering at Thrift Shops and Estate Sales, especially with her friend Anita. She was a volunteer at the American Cancer Society's Discovery Shop in Rancho Bernardo for many years, until their overzealous masking demands during the 2019-2000 pandemic made it impossible for her to continue due to her need to breathe oxygen freely with her compromised lungs. It was sad for her and they lost a very valuable and dedicated volunteer, because of an unreasonable requirement which was later determined to have been completely unnecessary. As an incidental side note of exclamation, Tana chose not to get any vaccinations or boosters during that time or since. She did contract the virus, confirmed later with an anti-body blood test, but had only minor symptoms. As such the natural antibodies her immune system developed effectively prevented her from ever getting that virus again.

She loved putting Jigsaw Puzzles together, and did dozens of them. One of a group of her puzzle friends would get one from maybe a thrift store, and then they would pass it around to each other until they had all made it, then send it back to the thrift store. Since it was usually spread out on her dining room table, husband Dave would sometimes pitch in too.

Tana preferred to listen to talk radio or straight un-opinionated TV news like the One America News Network, even in the background, rather than music. She did have music preferences, mostly Christian worship or bluegrass. She learned to play the mandolin a little, and even owned one for awhile. A special song for her and Dave was You Move Me by Susan Ashton. She was not interested or able to do much dancing because of her physical limitations, but she did love that song's music and deeper meaning, and so would dance with him by standing on his feet while he moved her.

She loved old movies. Her favorite period for movies was the 1940's, influenced by both parents who were raised in Hollywood. Her favorite movie was "Now Voyager". Others she liked a lot were Little Women 1949, The Great Escape, the 1953 Christmas Carol, and Little Shop Around the Corner. Favorite female movie stars were Margaret O'Brien, Betty Davis, and June Alison, favorite male stars Van Johnson and Micky Rooney.

Tana enjoyed watching a number of TV Shows together with Dave. Her forever favorite was All Creatures Great and Small. More recently at the top of her list also was the "Chosen" series about the life of Jesus from the perspective of His chosen disciples. They also watched the Christ in Prophecy, and Israel Now shows. There were also many British and other crime/period drama series such as Foyles War, Poirot, Morse, Midsomer Murders, George Gently, Miss Scarlet, Death in Paradise, Call The Midwife, Downton Abbey and more contemporary shows like Finding Your Roots, Ken Kramer, the original NCIS, Chicago Fire, and historical fiction series like 12 O'Clock High and Black Sheep Squadron. They also watched every episode of Heartland available to them over 14 seasons of the series, streaming from one app or another on Roku. She was a fan of Fixer Upper type and Picker type of shows, along with the Antique Roadshow, but would mostly watch those on her own since Dave was not a fan.

Tana was not a "foodie", and had learned early on in her life that her body would not allow her to participate in much strenuous exercise to burn off calories, so she learned to regulate what she consumed to prevent gaining excess weight. She did have a few favorite meals, and at the top of that list was her Mom's Swiss Steak dish, which she made for her and Dave regularly. When eating out, her favorite type of food was Mexican, especially a good veggie burrito and chile relleno combo. She also loved Rubio's fish tacos, a lean corned beef Rueben sandwich from the Jewish Deli D.Z. Akins, a Crab Louie Salad from Anthony's Seafood, and a good grilled steak. She loved tea and toast with grape jam, or with something sweet like cousin Cathy's Banana muffins or a Lorna Doone cookie early in the morning during her reading quiet time. Her favorite dessert was a soft rich Brownie, or secondly German Chocolate cake. Her worst liked food was liver.

Patience was not Tana's strong suite, but she was always working on it, knowing it is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22)

Crafting was another one of Tana's hobbies. She would go to just about every craft fair she could get to. When she was finally no longer able to continue quilting, by the Lord's blessing and provision, she found another outlet for her creativity and ability to still work with her hands. A new ministry had started at her church Maranatha Chapel, which took on the name HeartFelt, a group of some dozen or more ladies who would meet once a week to sew together and decorate small hearts made of felt material, to give to newcomers at church, or others needing "heart felt" encouragement. It was a perfect fit! Tana began showing up as often as she could, even though she could no longer drive. Dave would help get her there, oxygen tanks or concentrator in tow, and that gave her an encouraging boost for the week! At one point she had been in the hospital, and was released to a Skilled Nursing Facility very near the church, which had a spacious activity room. During that time the church was closed on a HeartFelt day for a holiday, so the whole group came over to meet in that activity room, where Tana was able to go as well. Everyone was so blessed, even the SNF staff! In the last several months prior to crossing into eternity with Jesus, going to HeartFelt and just sitting out after attending church service in person on Sunday to have meaningful social interaction became the only time she was getting out of the house, and were the two highlights of her week.