GEORGAS o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-07-31 published
GEORGAS,
William
Christopher “Bill&rdquo
At his home in Owen Sound on Monday morning July 30, 2007. In
his 90th year, William Christopher
GEORGAS, the loving husband
and friend of Helen
GEORGAS (née
KARES.)
The▼ loving father of
Betty Jane and her husband Peter
GRAHAM,
Christopher▼
GEORGAS
and Katherine and her husband Keith
McCOLL.
Loving grandfather
of Roderick and his wife Shelly, Kristan and her husband Mark
SEYMOUR and great-grandfather of Emily, Hillary and Chelsea.
Dear brother of Louis, Helen (Mrs. Bert
WEBBER,)
Georgia
(Mrs.
Anthony
NINOS), James (Barbara), Freda (Mrs. Bob
GILLSON), Earl (Cora)
and Nick. Fondly remembered by his nieces and nephews. Predeceased
by a daughter Catharine, his brother George and his sister Connie
(Mrs. James
ROBERTSON.)
Bill will long be remembered for his
involvement in Owen Sound and area. His love of family, Friends,
skiing, rollerblading, golf and sing songs at area nursing homes.
Friends may call at the Breckenridge-Ashcroft Funeral Home on
Wednesday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral service
will be held at St. George's Anglican Church on Thursday morning
at 11 a.m. Interment in Greenwood Cemetery. As an expression
of sympathy, memorial donations to the Owen Sound Rotary Club,
St. George's Anglican Church or the Grey Bruce Health Centre
Foundation would be appreciated by the family.
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GEORGAS o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-07-31 published
City loses a 'favourite son'
By Scott DUNN,
Sun
Times staff, Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Bill GEORGAS cross-country skiing at the Owen Sound Golf and
Country Club in February, 2005. Photo:
The▲ end came unexpectedly for Bill
GEORGAS, a man so physically
impressive that at 89 he shoveled snow off his roof, in-line
skated and skied.
Though small in stature, Mr.
GEORGAS' remarkable physical stamina,
strength and cheerful spirit were extinguished after his wife
found him fallen on the stairs about 4 a.m. Monday. A post-operative
examination late Monday suggested he had a heart attack that
caused him to fall.
People who knew him heaped superlatives on a man Owen Sound Mayor
Ruth LOVELL called a "legend," an "outstanding citizen," the
"epitome of a person who loved his community," and
an Owen Sound
"favourite son."
Marg CAPEL, who selected Mr.
GEORGAS as the feature of a "roast
and toast" event in June, called him Mr. Owen Sound. She also
called him a "wild man on skis."
He visited the city's 150th anniversary homecoming Meet and Greet
tent Sunday for a multi-faith church service in the afternoon,
then for the evening concert. His family didn't leave with him
until about 10 p.m. because Mr.
GEORGAS was enjoying himself,
talking with people the whole night, his eldest daughter Betty
GRAHAM said.
Mr. GEORGAS was the second-oldest among 10 children, all of whom
were born in Owen Sound. He attended Northern Business College
as a young man but he had always worked in the family movie houses,
the Classic and the Savoy theatres.
When those closed he moved to another Famous Players theatre,
The Roxy, as a projectionist and retired from there about 20 years
ago. His daughter Betty said her dad loved life and was single-minded
about things he got interested in, be it golfing, skiing, in-line
skating or piano playing. He saw the good in people, as his own
dad did, and was a hard worker, she said.
Freda GILLSON,
Mr.
GEORGAS' sister, said: "He was a very cheerful
person and (was) loved by everyone who knew him. He offered encouragement
and joy wherever he went."
Younger brother Jimmie
GEORGAS, himself a senior champion duathlete,
said "He was my mentor."
Mr. GEORGAS loved life and taking chances. When the snowbanks
were high he would ski off his roof on top of them. When he was
85 and skiing alone on the West Rocks, he fell through a crevasse
but managed to find a way out. He returned the next day to put
down boards to protect other skiers.
He skied downhill at Blue Mountain last winter and in-line skated
just a couple of weeks ago. A couple years ago he skated to Shallow
Lake and back. He would head out, saying little of his destination
and not carrying identification because, as he would say, everybody
knew him.
In fact, he has fallen a lot and has told people he should have
died 20 times over, his daughter recalled. It drove his family
crazy, his daughter said.
Mr. GEORGAS's parents were Christ and Sadie
GEORGAS, who were
born in the Greek town of Sparta. They bought a house in Owen
Sound in 1923, which still stands across from A and P.
Mr. GEORGAS was honoured by the city and by the province for
his accomplishments as a volunteer. His house is full of awards
and honours he received over the years. Pictures of him, usually
while cross-country skiing, often appeared in The Sun Times.
In 2003 he told a reporter he'd raised about $180,000 over 23 years
in the Rotary Club's annual Winterama cross-country skiing and
snowmobiling fundraiser based in Wiarton.
One year he received the Rotary club's prestigious Paul Harris
Award. He was inducted in the Owen Sound Sports Hall of Fame
in the early 1980s for skiing.
Mr. GEORGAS played piano in local seniors' homes, jumping around
excitedly as he played standards of the 1940s. His wife, Helen,
would sing and invite men to dance. They did this almost daily
in nursing homes around Owen Sound.
Mr. GEORGAS was also a religious man and, in April, he carried
the cross for a few steps in the Good Friday procession to city
hall. He admired Benny Hinn, the television preacher who claims
to heal people of incurable illnesses. Mr.
GEORGAS particularly
admired Hinn's work to help orphans, Betty
GRAHAM said.
"He had a deep compassion for underdogs and for poor people,"
GRAHAM said of her dad. He was known as "Bible Bill" in his youth
and he believed God wanted him to do good in the community. He
was a life member of the Brotherhood of Anglican Churchmen of
St. George's Church in Owen Sound.
LOVELL saw Mr.
GEORGAS most mornings as she walked her dog past
his house. He would always ask her how she planned to keep fit
that day. He once taught her to downhill ski in the Beaver Valley
and left her exhausted by morning's end, while he went up and
down the hill the rest of the afternoon.
"Honestly, everybody has a story because he had incredible energy,
absolutely incredible energy. He defied age. The years weren't
important to him."
William Christopher
GEORGAS leaves his wife
Helen, and their
children Betty Jane and her husband Pete
GRAHAM,
Christopher▲
GEORGAS and Katherine and her husband Keith
McCOLL, grandchildren
and great-grand children, nephews and nieces.
Visitation takes place Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
to 9 p.m. at Breckenridge-Ashcroft Funeral Home. The funeral
service will take place at St. George's Anglican Church Thursday
at 11 a.m. Interment is to take place in Greenwood Cemetery.
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GEORGAS - All Categories in OGSPI
GEORGE o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-05-29 published
SELMAN,
Marjorie (formerly
GEORGE, née
McKENZIE)
Of Oliphant passed away peacefully with her husband by her side
at Wiarton Hospital on Monday, May 28, 2007 in her 69th year.
Beloved wife of H.R. (Dick)
SELMAN and cherished mother of Patti
(Todd) HEGY of St. Charles, Illinois and step-mother of Al (Val)
GEORGE of London, Andy
GEORGE
(Joanne
REID) of Oliphant, Kim
(Scott) HETHERINGTON and Dawn
SELMAN
(Ken
BISCH) of Waterloo
and Leslie (Wilf)
LENON of Stratford. She will be sadly missed
by 10 grandchildren, 1 great-grand_son, brothers Mac (Carolyn)
McKENZIE and Donald (Dudley)
McKENZIE of Oliphant, sister-in-law
Anne McKENZIE of Oliphant and brother-in-law Red
CAWKER of Fenelon
Falls.
Marjorie▼ was predeceased by her first husband Len
GEORGE,
parents Annie
(CONDY) and William
McKENZIE, brother Murdoch
McKENZIE
and sister Cicely
CAWKER.
Marjorie was a registered nurse and
worked for many years for Bruce County Children's Aid Society
and later at Wiarton Hospital. Cremation has taken place. There
will be a memorial service to celebrate Marjorie's life at a
later date. Interment Balsam Grove Cemetery. Arrangements entrusted
to the George Funeral Home, Wiarton. Donations made to the Wiarton
Hospital or charity of your choice would be appreciated by the
family as expressions of sympathy. Condolences may be sent to
the family at www.georgefuneralhome.com
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GEORGE o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-09-19 published
DICKINSON,
Robert "
Bob"
Hugh
Passed away peacefully with his family at his side at Grey Bruce
Health Services, Owen Sound on Monday, September 17, 2007 in
his 64th year. Bob was a best friend and husband to Janie (nee
McROBB) for the past 39 years. Loving father to Rob, wife
Debra
(MOTHERSELL) of Owen Sound; Terrina, husband Robin
LAING of Medicine
Hat, Alberta; Scott, wife Michelle
(LANKTREE) of Gore Bay, Ontario
and Kristopher (Kris) and his wife
Paula
CRAWFORD of Brampton.
Also survived by five grandchildren McKayla, Zoe, Parker, Rachel
and Cuinn. Survived by two sisters Joan
ACHESON
(Doug) and Patricia
GEORGE
(Al,) his sister-in-law Marg
DICKINSON and his numerous
nieces and nephews. Predeceased by father Hugh (Brunie)
DICKINSON
and mother Robena (Beanie)
DICKINSON and two brothers Stanley
and Jerry. Friends are invited to the Tannahill Funeral Home
for visiting on Thursday from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. and Friday from
12 noon until service time. The funeral service will be conducted
in the chapel on Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock with Rev. Claire
MILLER officiating. Interment, Elora Cemetery. Memorial donations
to Sleeping Children Around the World would be appreciated. Messages
of condolence are welcome at www.tannahill.com
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GEORGE o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-10-16 published
FARROW,
Shirley
Annabelle (née
RAYMER)
Peacefully at Lee Manor Nursing Home in Owen Sound on Wednesday
October 10, 2007, in her 73rd year. Shirley Annabelle
FARROW
(née RAYMER,) the loving mother of Ellen
YOUNG and her fiancé
Paul CLIFFORD,
Kathy and her husband Dennis
AUPERS, Ed
FARROW
and his wife Susan, Carolyn
BEATTY and Brenda
GEORGE. Loving
grandmother of Matthew and his wife Alicia, Erin, Richard and
Ryan. Great-grandmother of Joshua, Faith and Eric. Predeceased
by her brother Earl
RAYMER and his wife
Beulah. A private family
service was held. As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations
to either the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation or to the Lee
Manor Memorial Fund would be appreciated by the family.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-10-20 published
GEORGE-
MAAS,
Susan
Janice
At her home surrounded by her family and Friends on Thursday,
October 18th, 2007 at the age of 47 years, the former Susan
GEORGE
of Port Elgin. Loving wife and best friend of Doug
MAAS.
Cherished
and loving daughter of Basil and Betty
GEORGE of Port Elgin.
Dear sister of Ray
GEORGE and his wife
Marian▲▼ of Sylvan Lake,
Alberta, and Larry
GEORGE and his wife
Kathy of Port Elgin. Daughter-in-law
of Ken and Mae
MAAS of Port Elgin. Sister-in-law of Ron and his
wife Barb of Arran Township and Terry and Marlene of Oakville.
She will also be missed by many nieces and nephews. Friends may
call at the W. Kent Milroy Port Elgin Chapel, 510 Mill Street,
Port Elgin, (Town of Saugeen Shores) from 2: 00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to
9: 00 p.m. on Sunday, October 21st, 2007. Funeral services will
be conducted in Port Elgin United Church, 840 Bruce Street, Port
Elgin, on Monday at 11: 00 a.m. with the Rev. Robert
WIDDOWSON
officiating. Interment Sanctuary Park Cemetery. Memorial contributions
to World Vision (Africa) or the A.L.S. Society would be appreciated
as expressions of sympathy. Memorial online at www.milroyfuneralhomes.com
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GEORGE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-01 published
GEORGE,
Herbert "
Herb"
Peacefully at Saint Thomas Elgin General Hospital, Palliative Care
Unit, on Saturday, December 30, 2006 Herbert "Herb"
GEORGE of
Mossley in his 81st year. Predeceased by his wife Dorothy (nee
HINGE.)
Sadly missed by his friend Edna
HANSFORD. Loving father
of Dale of Thamesville, Darrel (and Margaret Ann) of R.R.#2,
Dorchester and Dawn
McQUIGGIN of Putnam. Fondly remembered by
ten grandchildren. Dear brother of Lloyd
GEORGE of Saint Thomas
and predeceased by his brother Edwin. Also survived by his brother-in-law
Gordon HINGE of London. Friends will be received at the Bieman
Funeral Home, Dorchester on Tuesday 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. where the
funeral service will be held on Wednesday, January 3, 2007 at
11: 00 a.m. Interment at Dorchester Union Cemetery. Memorial donations
to the Heart and Stroke Foundation gratefully acknowledged.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-03 published
HILL,
Marena▼
E.▼
Peacefully at Extendicare, London on Monday, January 1, 2007
Marena E. HILL of Oneida in her 72nd year. Beloved wife of the
late Clinton James
HILL (1964) of Tyendinaga. Loving mother of
Clinton (Wayne) and Marianne, Cheryl and John
FLIS,
Clifford▼
(Jim) and Kevin and Jessica. Proud grandmother of Clinton, Isaac,
Julia and Nicole. Dear sister of Ray and Norleen
GEORGE,
Verneta▼
and Archie
KENNEDY,
Clara▼
GEORGE and Mark and Judy
GEORGE. Arrangements
incomplete. McFarlane and Roberts Funeral Home, Lambeth 519-652-2020
in care of arrangements. Donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation
gratefully acknowledges.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-04 published
GEORGE,
Bruce
Of Hillside Avenue, Delhi passed away at the Norfolk General
Hospital, Simcoe on Tuesday, January 2, 2007 in his 76th year.
A Royal Canadian Army Service Corps Veteran having served overseas
in Germany and Africa with the Canadian Guard. Member of the
Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 125, Delhi. Member of Saint_John
Brebeuf and Companions Roman Catholic Church, Delhi. Beloved husband
of Shirley
GEORGE (nee:
BROWN.)
Loving father of Michael
GEORGE
(Alexandra), Fredericton, New Brunswick; Jennifer
GEORGE, Fredericton,
New Brunswick; Patrick
GEORGE (Terri Lynn), Waterloo, Rev. Fr. Matthew
GEORGE,
Tillsonburg and father-in-law of Maria
GEORGE. Cherished
grandfather of 13 grandchildren: Katie, Meaghan, Margaret, Amina,
Nicholas, Hassen, Jordan, Joseph, Tyler, Sarah, Edward, Nathan,
Daniel and great-grandfather of Noura, Amir and Yousuf. Dearest
brother-in-law of Merle
GEORGE,
Richmond
Hill and Keith
BROWN
(Alice), Stayner. Also survived by several nieces and nephews.
Predeceased by his two daughters: Lesley Carol (1963) and Mary
Ellen (1971) and by his three brothers: Richard (1927), Eric
(1983), Allan (1995) and his wife Bernice (1995) and by his sister
Mary (1928). Friends may call at the Murphy Funeral Home, Delhi
for visitation on Sunday from 2: 00 to 4:00 and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
and for Royal Canadian Legion Service at 6: 45 p.m. and Parish
Prayers at 7: 30 p.m. A Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will
be celebrated at Our Lady of LaSalette Roman Catholic Church,
LaSalette on Monday, January 8, 2007 at 10: 00 a.m. Interment
in Delhi Cemetery. Donations to the Juravinski Cancer Centre
Foundation or the Breast Cancer Research will be gratefully acknowledged
by the family.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-01-06 published
HILL,
Marena▲
E.▲
Peacefully at Extendicare, London on Monday, January 1, 2007
Marena E. HILL of Oneida in her 72nd year. Beloved wife of the
late Clinton James
HILL (1964) of Tyendinaga. Loving mother of
Clinton (Wayne) and Marianne, Cheryl and John
FLIS,
Clifford▲
(Jim) and Kevin and Jessica. Proud grandmother of Clinton, Isaac,
Julia and Nicole. Dear sister of Ray and Norleen
GEORGE,
Verneta▲
and Archie
KENNEDY,
Clara▲
GEORGE and Mark and Judy
GEORGE. A private
Funeral Service was held at McFarlane and Roberts Funeral Home,
Lambeth 519-652-2020 on Friday, January 5, 2007 at 1: 00 p.m.
with Reverend Elaine
CLARK officiating. Cremation with interment
Tyendinaga at a later date. Donations to the Heart and Stroke Foundation
gratefully acknowledged.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-08-23 published
Man dies after blow to head during a fight
By Free Press Staff, Thurs., August 23, 2007
Police are investigating the death of Darryl Lee
GEORGE, 49,
of Kettle Point First Nation territory.
GEORGE was at a Lakeshore
Road home early Sunday when he was struck in the head with a
40-ounce bottle during a fight, sources told police.
The▼ next day,
GEORGE was taken to hospital with complications
from head trauma, where he later died, the Ontario Provincial
Police said. Investigators are waiting for an autopsy to be completed.
Anyone with information is asked to call Anishinabek First Nations
Police at 519-786-5445, the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122
or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-07-26 published
GEORGE,
Linda
Diane
After a 10 year amazingly valiant struggle with breast cancer,
Linda passed away peacefully on July 21st, 2007. Linda lived
life to the fullest and she left this world a better place. After
a 35 year career at the TD Bank in the systems department, she
enjoyed her retirement to the maximum. Linda was an intrepid
traveler, a gourmet chef and the best party host ever. Her legacy
will be the many Friends that she has brought together and who
were there for her over the past 10 years and especially the
last 4 months. She will be dearly missed by her mother Violet
(predeceased by her father Bill), sister Faye, niece Joni (Glen),
nephew Beau, great-nephews Regan and Taylor, step-children Sam
and Craig (Lisa) and granddaughters Charlie and Ed. Linda would
have wanted to thank the incredible caregivers at St. Mike's
hospital, from the 2nd and 4th floors of the Queen wing. Cremation
has taken place and a service followed by a celebration of her
life will be held at Ashbridge's Bay Yacht Club, at the foot
of Coxwell Avenue, (www.abyc.on.ca) on Friday July 27th at 12: 30 p.m.
Linda has raised over $30,000 for Breast Cancer research and
therefore, in Linda's memory and in lieu of flowers, it is requested
that donations be made to Princess Margaret Hospital, Canadian
Breast Cancer Foundation or a charity of your choice. She will
be very deeply missed by all who knew her. See you in Heaven,
ciao Linda.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-01 published
Gunfire outbreak yields six casualties in 10 days
By Tim SHUFELT,
Page A9
The shooting of Munit
WALIA on Monday in the city's west end
capped off a 10-day outbreak of fatal gunfire, pushing the number
of gun-related homicides to levels not seen since the so-called
"year of the gun" in 2005.
Police found Mr.
WALIA, 27, around 9 p.m. in his car suffering
from multiple gunshot wounds in the Martingrove Road and Finch
Avenue West area. He was taken to Saint Michael's Hospital where
he was pronounced dead. Police are now investigating whether
he uttered the names of his attackers in the voice mail message
he was leaving his pregnant girlfriend moments before he was
shot.
Nobody has yet been charged in the death of Mr.
WALIA, as is
the case in four of the six shooting fatalities in the last 10 days.
The killing of Kimel
FOSTER, 21, outside the Town Talk Restaurant and
Bar near Vaughan Road and Oakwood Avenue, kicked off a bloody
weekend in the early morning hours of July 21. Mr.
FOSTER died
from multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, while
a second victim survived.
The next morning, 11-year-old Ephraim
BROWN died from a bullet
to the neck, followed by the separate shootings of Shawn
JAMES
and Amin AAFI.
First-degree murder charges were laid against
two people last week in the death of Mr.
JAMES, 31, who police
say was killed by shots fired from the window of a Beck taxicab
near Wellesley and Sherbourne Streets. Police are still searching
for a third suspect.
Mr. AAFI, 24, arrived at hospital after shots rang out in Flirt
Lounge in the nightclub district. He died from a single gunshot
wound, while a second man was treated at hospital for a shot
to the leg.
The▲ next casualty was 25-year-old Michael
GEORGE, described as
a well-liked aspiring rapper, who was targeted as he exited his
car in the Meadowvale Road and Finch Avenue West area on Sunday.
Mr. GEORGE was not known to police.
In addition to the arrests stemming from the death of Mr.
JAMES,
police have also charged two people with first-degree murder
in the Ephraim
BROWN case. The other homicides are under investigation
and police are searching for suspects.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-09-01 published
GEORGE,
Dorothy
F. (née
WATSON)
Unexpectedly, with her family by her side, on Thursday, August
30, 2007 at Sunnybrook Hospital in her 88th year. Dearly beloved
wife of the late Jack. Loving and devoted mother to Ann DU
PONT
(Ron), David (Louise) and Peter (Bonnie). She will be lovingly
remembered by her 10 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren and
sister Melba
GALLIVAN.
Predeceased by her brother Orville and
sister Joan. Greatly admired and respected by relatives and Friends.
She will be sadly missed but always remembered. Friends may call
at the Turner and Porter "Peel" Chapel, 2180 Hurontario Street,
Mississauga (Hwy. 10 north of Queen Elizabeth Way), Monday from
2-4 and 7-9 p.m. Funeral Mass on Tuesday, September 4, 2007 at
11 a.m. at St. Clement Church, 409 Markland Drive (at Bloor Street),
Etobicoke. If desired, remembrances may be made to the Arthritis
Society or the charity of your choice.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-09-14 published
Surgeon scored 1962 breakthrough with world's first coronary
care unit
Doctor who had served on HMCS Prince Robert in wartime later
maintained a thriving practice and taught generations of medical
students at the University of Toronto, writes Sandra Martin
By Sandra MARTIN,
Page S9
Back in the early 1960s, when prescribing blood thinners was
the standard treatment for acute heart attacks, Robert (Bob)
MacMILLAN and his colleague Kenneth (Ken)
BROWN were disturbed
by the 40 per cent mortality rate in their recovering patients
at the Toronto General Hospital. Some of these patients, who
seemed very well when the night nurse checked on them, were found
dead the following morning. The cause seemed obvious: a disturbance
in the rhythm of the heart's electrical system, or ventricular
fibrillation. But what triggered the fatal imbalance remained
a mystery.
In 1962, the two doctors established the world's first coronary
care unit at Toronto General Hospital. Within a year they had
reduced the mortality rate by 10 per cent. The significance of
the coronary unit was "huge," said cardiologist Douglas
WIGLE,
a former colleague and now professor emeritus at the department
of medicine at the University of Toronto.
"Bob was a superb teacher with a very dry wit who made a point
of being charming and friendly to students when it was more typical
in those days for doctors to be austere and professorial," said
hematologist Michael
BAKER, an intern under Doctor
MacMILLAN in
the mid-1960s and now physician-in-chief at university health
network.
"I learned the technical aspects of cardiology from him but,
far more important, looking back, I learned the human side of
being a prominent physician," said Doctor
BAKER. "He was pleasant,
he had a sense of humour, he had a life outside the hospital
and he was interested in us as people."
Robert Laidlaw
MacMILLAN was born into a medical family in Toronto
during the First World War. His father, Robert Johnson
MacMILLAN,
was an anesthetist at the Wellesley Hospital and his mother,
Merle (née
LAIDLAW,) was a nurse. The family, which included
Bob's younger brother Hugh (who also became a distinguished doctor)
and his sister Mary, lived first on Admiral Road and then on
Dunvegan in Forest Hill.
When Bob was about 13, his father decided to spend a year in
Europe to complete his medical training, which had been truncated
by the war. The three children were sent to the Lycée Jacquard
in Switzerland, where they learned to ski and to speak French.
When the
MacMILLANs returned to Toronto, the boys enrolled at
University of Toronto Schools, then a boys-only elite private
academic institution. They were both burly and very athletic
and were known as Big Beef and Little Beef. Bob graduated in
1934 and went that fall to Trinity College in the University
of Toronto, where he played college rugby and hockey, and earned
an honours degree in biological and medical sciences in 1938 and
a medical degree three years later.
Meanwhile, an 18-year-old Welsh woman named Eluned (Lyn)
CAREY-
EVANS,
had graduated from Roedean School near Brighton in Sussex, and
set off on a tour of Canada in August of 1939, having been assured
by her grandfather, the former British prime minister David Lloyd
GEORGE, that fears of war breaking out were grossly exaggerated.
She was in Sault Ste. Marie on September 3, 1939, when British
prime minister Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany.
Stranded without money, connections, or winter clothes, Lyn was
rescued by Friends of her family who arranged for her to stay
at St. Hilda's, the women's residence at Trinity College. The
university allowed her to attend medical classes (based on her
English qualifications) and that is how, coming out of the library
with her arms loaded with borrowed books, she literally ran into
Bob MacMILLAN, the older brother of her classmate Hugh. After
he got down on his hands and knees to retrieve her books, he
invited her for a milkshake, and that was that. "He was so funny
always; he was such an interesting person," she said in a telephone
interview late last week.
They were married three years later on Valentine's Day, 1942,
at Trinity College, with no member of her family able to cross
the Atlantic to attend the ceremony. By then, he had enlisted
in the Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve. They made their
first home in Victoria, British Columbia, which they both loved,
but she returned to Toronto when he was posted overseas as a
surgeon lieutenant commander on HMCS Prince Robert. The ship,
which had been designed as a coastal ferry for Canadian National's
Vancouver-to-Alaska run, was the vessel that had carried King
George VI and Queen Elizabeth on the round trip from Vancouver
to Victoria as part of a Royal tour in May, 1939. It was then
converted to an armed merchant cruiser for convoy duty and escorted
Canadian troops to Hong Kong in October of 1941 for the ill-fated
defence of the British crown colony against the Japanese.
By the time Lt.-Cmdr.
MacMILLAN climbed aboard, Prince Robert
was an anti-aircraft cruiser. It sailed for Plymouth via the
Panama Canal, picking up a huge bunch of green bananas on route
which Bob decided to present to his in-laws as a getting-acquainted
gift. Their first sight of him, as he emerged on the station
platform in North Wales in 1943, was of a tall, husky man with
a red beard bent under the weight of his bounty of ripe bananas
a fruit they hadn't seen in years. They were charmed, according
to Lyn MacMILLAN who recollected that her family "ate bananas
until they were blue in the face."
Lt.-Cmdr. MacMILLAN remained on Prince Robert for the duration
of the war, during which the ship had more conversions and sailed
more operational miles than any other in the Royal Canadian Navy.
For much of the conflict she was the navy's largest and most
heavily armed ship, and later had a final life as a luxury ocean
liner.
While her husband was overseas, Mrs.
MacMILLAN gave birth to
their first child, the historian Margaret
MacMILLAN, now warden
of St. Antony's College, Oxford. Four more children followed,
Ann, a London-based Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcaster
Tom, a financier; Robert, a urologist; and David, an energy consultant.
After he was demobilized at the end of the Pacific War, Doctor
MacMILLAN
was joined by his growing family where he did post-graduate studies
in London and Oxford and qualified as a Member of the Royal College
of Physicians in 1947. The next year, the
MacMILLANs moved back
across the Atlantic so he could take up a position at Toronto
General Hospital as senior intern in hematology. He became a
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Canada) in 1948 and
began his long career as a cardiologist on staff at the Toronto
General Hospital, initially doing work on blood clotting and
platelets.
In the early 1960s, Doctor
MacMILLAN and his colleague Doctor K.W.
BROWN decided to isolate and observe cardiac patients closely
to see if they could determine the factors contributing to high
mortality rates in supposedly recovering patients. Federal and
provincial governments provided research grants; a private donor,
Percy Gardiner, contributed the start-up funds to hire extra
nurses to monitor the patients on a 24-hour basis especially
in the critical 48-hour period after admission, and the Toronto
General Hospital supplied a small room containing four beds separated
by curtains.
When the unit opened on March 12, 1962, four patients were attached
to improvised electro-cardiogram machines to record every beat
of their hearts. Nurses became expert at recognizing complications
and instituting life-saving procedures while waiting for doctors
to arrive. After a year, this team approach and quick interventions
to adjust or restart heart-beat rhythms had reduced the death
rate by 10 per cent. The two doctors described their study in
an article in the medical journal The Lancet on August 17, 1963,
which enabled them to claim credit for establishing the first
coronary intensive-care unit in the world.
Despite this medical breakthrough and the fact that Doctor
MacMILLAN
remained co-director of the coronary unit (which quickly expanded
to eight beds) for the next decade, his calling was not primarily
as a researcher. Above all, he was a practitioner and a professor,
establishing an extensive private practice and teaching generations
of medical students at the Toronto General Hospital and the University
of Toronto. From his first position as a clinical teacher and
an assistant physician in 1952, he rose steadily through the
medical and academic ranks, becoming an assistant professor in
1965, an associate professor and senior staff physician in 1968 and
professor of medicine and head of the division of general internal
medicine at Toronto General Hospital in 1976. He had to retire
from teaching when he turned 65 in 1982, but maintained his medical
practice for another decade and served as a consultant to the
province's Workman's Compensation Board when he was even older.
Dr. MacMILLAN was also a fearless and accomplished traveller
and athlete who loved the outdoors. He delighted in canoeing,
scuba diving, hiking, camping and playing tennis and skiing in
remote locations only accessible by helicopter well into his
late 70s. In addition, he and his wife had an active country
life on a farm in Vaughan, Ontario, north of Toronto (which his
father had bought in 1934) where, among other activities, he
kept bees.
The MacMILLANs were at the farm in 2001 when he recognized that
he was having a heart attack and told his wife to drive him to
the local hospital - fast - where he read his own cardiogram
and diagnosed a clot in his heart. The next morning he had a
massive coronary. After several weeks in hospital he was transferred
to the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, where after six weeks
in residence and six months as an outpatient he gradually learned
to walk and talk again. "We had six happy years," said Mrs.
MacMILLAN.
At the beginning of this year, his health declined seriously
and he had to go into a special care unit.
Robert Laidlaw
MacMILLAN was born May 23, 1917, in Toronto. He
died of complications from heart disease on September 5, 2007
at East York General Hospital in Toronto. He was 90. He is survived
by his wife Lyn, five children, 12 grandchildren and his extended
family.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-09-21 published
WILCOX,
David
F.
After a long and determined struggle with cancer at Princess
Margaret Hospital on Wednesday September 19, 2007 at the age
of 62. Former Senior Executive at Liquor Control Board of Ontario.
David, will be missed by his loving wife and partner Janet, sons
Michael and Christopher, mother-in-law Eva
GLYN-
JONES, sisters
Joan CAMPBELL, Pat
COLLIE (Bill), Barb
BELL (Gord
BELL), brother-in-law
Ian GLYN-
JONES
(Cathy,) sister-in-law Penny
METZA (Bob
GEORGE.)
He will be remembered by many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and
great-nephews. Predeceased by his parents Frank and Kathleen
WILCOX and father-in-law Ogwen
GLYN-
JONES.
David will be especially
missed by his golfing and curling buddies and his many other
close Friends. A memorial service and celebration of his life
will be held at Bayview Golf and Country Club, 25 Fairway Heights
Dr., Thornhill, (Steeles and Leslie) on Thursday September 27
from 11: 30 a.m. to 3 p.m. No flowers please. Donations can be
made to the Canadian Cancer Society or The Princess Margaret
Hospital Foundation Palliative Pacers Fund.
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GEORGE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-11-07 published
GEORGE,
Ruby
Marie▲ (née
ALLEN)
Peacefully at Belmont House on November 2, 2007 in her 92nd year.
Beloved wife of the late Michael
GEORGE. Cherished mother of
Diana (Bill
RESTIVO) and Denise (Gerry
BEDARD.) Long-time member
of Christ Church Deer Park where she was sidesperson, member
of the Chancel Guild and loyal supporter of the Anglican Church
Women's rummage sales, bazaars and luncheons. Ruby contributed
to other volunteer organizations throughout her life - Red Cross,
Meals on Wheels, Food Bank, Out of the Cold and the 48th Highlanders
Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire. Many thanks to
the compassionate staff of Belmont House. Cremation has taken
place. A service will be held on Friday, November 9, 2007 at
11: 00 a.m. at Christ Church Deer Park, 1570 Yonge Street, Toronto
with a reception to follow in the Parish Hall. Memorial donations
may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 480 University
Ave., Suite 1502, Toronto M5G 1V2.
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