"WIG" 2007 Obituary

WIGBOLDUS  WIGDERSON  WIGG  WIGGETT  WIGGINS  WIGGS  WIGHAM  WIGHT  WIGHTMAN  WIGHTON  WIGLE 

WIGBOLDUS o@ca.on.middlesex_county.strathroy.age_dispatch 2007-05-30 published
SMITH, Charles Abraham
Peacefully, at Strathroy Middlesex General Hospital, on Thursday, May 24, 2007, Charles Abraham SMITH of Strathroy, in his 82nd year. Beloved husband of Marie (FIELD) SMITH. Loving father of Rev. Mary Ellen (Brad) BARCLAY of Saint Thomas, Randy (Marie) SMITH of Kerwood, Gayle (Keith) McLEOD of Strathroy, and Bill (Marian) SMITH of Strathroy and grandfather of Yvonne and Brian WIGBOLDUS, Ian and Tracy BARCLAY, Josh, Lisa, and Bruce HOLMES, Steven, Annette, Leanne, Michelle, Tamara, and Wesley, Candice and Reanne. Also survived by 8 great-grandchildren. Dear brother of Edna KORZYNSKI, Marian WAGNER, and Bob Haggith. Visitation was held at Denning Bros. Funeral Home, Strathroy, on Sunday, May 27 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. where a funeral service was held on Monday, May 28 at 1 p.m. with Rev. Steve BOOSE officiating. Interment in Oakland Cemetery, Glencoe. A Masonic service was held Sunday evening at 6: 30 p.m. under direction of the Napier Masonic Lodge. Donations to the Strathroy Hospital Foundation would be appreciated. A tree will be planted as a living memorial to Charlie.

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WIGDERSON o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-24 published
FARRO, Ethel (formerly ROSS, née WIGDERSON)
On Sunday, August 19, 2007 in Houston, Texas. Ethel FARRO, beloved wife of the late Martin ROSS. Loving mother and mother-in-law of Ken ROSS of Chicago, Illinois, and Robert and Becky ROSS of Houston, Texas. Dear sister and sister-in-law of Dora and Cecil NOBLE of London, England, the late Sara and Morris HIRSCH of Chicago, Illinois, and the late Doctor Arthur WIGDERSON of Toronto. Devoted grandmother of Jonathan and Holly ROSS, and Randi ROSS, great-grandmother of Jordan, and Sawyer all of Houston, Texas. A graveside service will be held at Holy Blossom Memorial Park on Friday, August 24, 2007 at 2: 00 p.m. Shiva 14 York Ridge Road.

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WIGG o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-07-28 published
LUCKOCK, Cawthorne Clifford " Cort" (1914-2007)
Passed on peacefully in his 94th year, July 26, 2007 at Bloomington Cove Nursing Home, Stouffville, Ontario Beloved husband of Virginia (LEROY.) Loving father of Cameron of Vernon, British Columbia, Douglas (Barb) of Bradford, Ontario and Gloria WIGG (Gerry) of Wilberforce, Ontario. Dear grandfather of 7 and great-grandfather of 16. Cort began his life's career in the printing ink business. Originally an ink chemist and later combining his technical skills with his natural sales ability to become the top salesman with Sinclair Valentine Printing Inks. His interest in the graphics industry was only exceeded by his love of Jazz. He spent many hours listening to radio and records. He attended many concerts and clubs where he generously entertained clients and family. His all time favourite was Louis Armstrong having personally met with Louis many times. It was fitting that he passed listening to his favourite. Hopefully Louis is playing for him now. Cort was a lifelong member in the Masonic Lodge supporting and attending meetings. Bloomington Cove's staff, for the past five years, provided special care and attention to his needs. The family wishes to thank the entire staff and in particular Doctor Sampson, Dr. Brodie and Nurse Rhonda. A private family memorial service will take place at a later date.

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WIGGETT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-11-17 published
WIGGETT, Jacqueline S.
Peacefully on November 13th at Niagara-on-the-Lake in her 90th year. Loving mother of Howard and devoted to Honey her cat. She is survived by her son Howard (Sheri) and brothers Shaun and Allan. As expressions of sympathy, donations to a charity of choice would be appreciated by the family through the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chapel of the Morgan Funeral Homes, 415 Regent Street. Private cremation has taken place.

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WIGGINS o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-11-15 published
AMY, Rev. Bruce Robert
Peacefully at Gateway Haven in Wiarton Tuesday evening November 13, 2007. Rev. Bruce AMY of Sauble Beach formerly of Toronto in his 88th year. Beloved husband of M. Eleanor (nee) BOETTGER. Loved father of Glen of New Dundee, Carolyn FAST of Brampton, James and his wife Meriam of Stouffville and Peggy and her husband Wade WIGGINS of Elliott Lake. Lovingly remembered by his eight grandchildren; Christine (Brian) McGILLIS, Michael, Ryan, Richard, Kaitlyn, David, Daniel, Darren and one great-grandchild; Dermot. Also survived by five brothers and 2 sisters. Predeceased by two brothers and one sister. Friends may call at the Downs and son Funeral Home Hepworth Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral Service will be conducted from the Hepworth Baptist Church Saturday afternoon at 1: 00 p.m. Interment Zion Cemetery. Expressions of remembrance to The Gideons, New Life Camp or Hepworth Baptist Church would be appreciated. Messages of condolence for the family are welcome at www.downsandsonfuneralhome.com. A tree will be planted in the Memorial Forest of the Grey Sauble Conservation Foundation in memory of Bruce by the Downs and son Funeral Home.

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WIGGINS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-06-26 published
McKAY, John Leitch
Passed away on Sunday, June 24, 2007 in Barrie, Ontario, surrounded by his loving family. John McKAY beloved husband of the late Ethel, leaves three daughters; Wendy (Bruce WIGGINS,) Jaqueline (James PEGG) and Louise (Rusty ROBINSON) and his beloved grandchildren Devin, Alex, Claragh, Andrew, Gilly and Tully. He is survived by his brothers Frank (Belle) and Mervyn of Northern Ireland, Bill (Margarite) of New Zealand, his sister Eileen (the late Harry) from Ottawa and his sister-in-law Frances (the late Joe McKAY) of Niagara Falls. He is predeceased by Joe, Doreen, Bertie and little Maisie. John was greatly loved by all his nephews and nieces. John was born in Glenarm (Larne) Northern Ireland by the seaside and never ventured far from water. He lived life with adventure and enthusiasm. After his beloved wife Ethel passed away in 1986, John spent the years boating and spending time with his grandchildren. He will always be known for his warmth, smiling eyes and his wonderful Irish sense of humour. He will be greatly missed by all. Friends may call at Trinity Anglican Church, Collier Street, Barrie on Thursday from 1: 30 until time of service in the church on Thursday, June 28 at 2: 30 p.m. Cremation. Memorial donations may be made to Trinity Anglican Church, Barrie through Marshall W. Driver Cremation and Burial Service, 19 Ross Street, Barrie. L4N 1E8 705-734-7616 Condolences may be sent to mwdcandbservice@sympatico.ca

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WIGGS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-01 published
McKEE, Rosalind▼ Stuart▼ (née WIGGS)
On Monday, July 30th after a valiant 33 year struggle with cancer, beloved wife and traveling companion of Fraser M. McKEE of Toronto. Mother,▼ mother-in-law and grandmother of Ross and Wilma ALEXANDER, Rosanna and Simon in Toronto; Gillian and Erik VAL, Amy▼ and Hana in Whitehorse; Allison, Tom CONKLIN and Jamie in Ottawa; and Hugh and Hillary POUNSETT, Sean,▼ Ian▼ and Madeleine in Toronto. Daughter▼ of the late Col. C.W. and Margaret WIGGS of Quebec City. Proud of her Quebec heritage, Roz attended school there and at St Helen's in Dunham, Quebec, and attended MacDonald College of McGill University B.Sc.-H.Ec.). Over a career of volunteering she was President of the North York University Women's Club, the Evening Auxiliary of the Women's College Hospital, and of the Washington of Glenview Presbyterian Church where she also served as an Elder; she was a member of the Church's National Board of Congregational Life as Chair for Leadership Development. Roz also volunteered in various other similar organizations in Toronto, Beaconsfield, Quebec, and Markdale, Ontario Her motto was "I don't want to just be a member I want to run the organization." The family will receive Friends at a reception at Trull Funeral Home, 2704 Yonge Street, Toronto on Thursday, August 2nd, 7-9 p.m. A memorial service will be held on Friday, August 3rd at 2 p.m. at Glenview Presbyterian Church, 1 Glenview Ave., Toronto. Cremation has taken place. In lieu of flowers, Friends may wish to make donations in Roz' name to the Canadian Cancer Society or Glenview Presbyterian Church.

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WIGGS o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-08-04 published
McKEE, Rosalind▲ Stuart▲ (née WIGGS)
On Monday, July 30th after a valiant 33 year struggle with cancer, beloved wife and traveling companion of Fraser M. McKEE of Toronto. Mother,▲ mother-in-law and grandmother of Ross and Wilma ALEXANDER, Rosanna and Simon in Toronto; Gillian and Erik VAL, Amy▲ and Hana in Whitehorse; Allison, Tom CONKLIN and Jamie in Ottawa; and Hugh and Hillary POUNSETT, Sean,▲ Ian▲ and Madeleine in Toronto. Daughter▲ of the late Col. C.W. and Margaret WIGGS of Quebec City. Proud of her Quebec heritage, Roz attended school there and at St. Helen's in Dunham, Quebec, and attended MacDonald College of McGill University B.Sc.-H.Ec.). Over a career of volunteering she was President of the North York University Women's Club, the Evening Auxiliary of the Women's College Hospital, and of the Washington of Glenview Presbyterian Church where she also served as an Elder; she was a member of the Church's National Board of Congregational Life as Chair for Leadership Development. Roz also volunteered in various other similar organizations in Toronto, Beaconsfield, Quebec, and Markdale, Ontario. Her motto was "I don't want to just be a member I want to run the organization." The family will receive Friends at a reception at Trull Funeral Home, 2704 Yonge Street, Toronto on Thursday, August 2nd, 7-9 p.m. A memorial service will be held on Friday, August 3rd at 2 p.m. at Glenview Presbyterian Church, 1 Glenview Ave., Toronto. Cremation has taken place. In lieu of flowers, Friends may wish to make donations in Roz' name to the Canadian Cancer Society or Glenview Presbyterian Church.

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WIGHAM o@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2007-08-15 published
McQUARRIE, Freda (KING)
In Markham-Stouffville Hospital, on Saturday, August 11, 2007. Freda (KING) McQUARRIE in her 84th year, beloved wife of the late John Wesley (Wes) McQUARRIE. Dear mother of Howard (Alma) McQUARRIE of Mississauga, Stanley McQUARRIE of Calgary, Alberta and Raymond (Edith) McQUARRIE of Markham. Will be sadly missed by: five grandchildren Lesley, Christopher; Laura, Kevin and Melissa. Survived by a brother George (Eva) KING of Edmonton, Alberta, two sisters-in-law Muriel McQUARRIE of Shelburne and Ann PRIDDLE of Aylmer and a daughter-in-law Shirley WARAM of London. Predeceased by three brothers Ted, Len and Ron KING, two sisters Violet HATCH and Ivy WIGHAM, three brothers-in-law Mansell McQUARRIE, Oscar EK and Jim PRIDDLE and a grand_son John Edward McQUARRIE. Rested at the McMillan and Jack Funeral Home, Dundalk. Service in the chapel was held on Monday, August 13, 2007 at 11 a.m. Interment in Badjeros Cemetery. Donations to the charity of your choice would be appreciated. Visitation was held on Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m.
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WIGHT o@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2007-09-26 published
WIGHT / DETTA
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our precious little angel Autumn Lily on Sunday, September 16, 2007. Autumn was interred on Sunday, September 23 at a private family service at Evergreen Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to Darin and Lorri at 73 Grand Ave. N. Cambridge, Ontario N1S 2L1.
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WIGHT o@ca.on.grey_county.artemesia.flesherton.the_flesherton_advance 2007-10-03 published
WIGHT, Autumn▼
It was hard to say 'goodbye' when we couldn't say 'hello.' Thank you to our family and Friends. You have poured out your love in so many ways as we walked through this tragedy of losing our precious baby girl, Autumn. Your visits, phone calls, e-mails, flowers, food and gifts have meant so much to us. Most of all we thank you for your prayers which continue to sustain us on this journey. A special thank you to Rob FAWCETT who went the extra mile in so many ways. May God bless each and every one of you.
- Dana, Lorri, Ron, Heather and Stacey.
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WIGHT o@ca.on.grey_county.hanover.the_post 2007-11-30 published
DODD, Shirley▼ Ann▼ Elizabeth▼ (née MONK)
In Durham on Thursday, November 22, 2007. Shirley DODD, of Durham, in her 75th year.
Wife of the late Merlin DODD. Loved▼ and devoted mother of Lyle (Debbie) of Durham, Sandra (Greg) LUYTEN of Wingham, Susan (Gerry) MEYER of Hanover, Gale (Peter) WIGHT of Durham, Lorri (Jack) MURDOCH of R.R.#4 Durham and Nancy (Bruce) HOLLIDAY of Walkerton.
Sadly missed by two sisters, Sharon DWYER of Puslinch and Mary DWYER of Calgary, 12 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
A private Funeral Service will be held at the Fawcett-McEachern Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, Durham. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Children’s Wish Foundation would be appreciated by the family.

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WIGHT o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-09-21 published
WIGHT / DETTA, Autumn▲ Lily
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of our precious little angel Autumn Lily on Sunday, September 16, 2007. Autumn will be interred on Sunday, September 23 at a private family service at Evergreen Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to Darin and Lorri at 73 Grand Ave. N., Cambridge, Ontario N1S 2L1.

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WIGHT o@ca.on.grey_county.owen_sound.the_sun_times 2007-11-24 published
DODD, Shirley▲ Ann▲ Elizabeth▲ (née MONK)
In Durham on Thursday, November 22, 2007. Shirley DODD of Durham in her 75th year. Wife of the late Merlin DODD. Loved▲ and devoted mother of Lyle (Debbie) of Durham, Sandra (Greg) LUYTEN of Wingham, Susan (Gerry) MEYER of Hanover, Gale (Peter) WIGHT of Durham, Lorri (Jack) MURDOCK of R.R.#1, Durham and Nancy (Bruce) HOLLIDAY of Walkerton. Sadly missed by 2 sisters Sharon DWYER of Puslinch and Mary DWYER of Calgary, 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. A private Funeral Service will be held at the Fawcett-McEachern Funeral Home and Cremation Centre, Durham.

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WIGHT o@ca.on.middlesex_county.london.london_free_press 2007-06-20 published
Driver without seatbelt dies
By Free Press Staff, Wed., June 20, 2007
A Burgessville man has died after a single-vehicle crash north of Tillsonburg on Monday. Walter Charles (Chuck) WIGHT, 48, was driving an sport-utility vehicle east on Airport Road near Zenda Line about 6 p.m. when he failed to stop for a stop sign.
The sport utility vehicle lost control, drove into a ditch, struck a tree and rolled. Oxford Community police said WIGHT wasn't wearing a seatbelt. They also believe speed and alcohol were factors in the crash. WIGHT was airlifted to a London hospital where he later died. Police ask anyone who saw the crash to call them at 519-537-2323.

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WIGHT o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-12-13 published
BROWN, Shirley Ann (formerly PORTER, née WIGHT)
On December 11, 2007 at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto after a brief illness. Survived by her husband David H. BROWN and her children Brenda Porter ROBBINS (Michael ROBBINS,) Brian (Megan,) Diana HANRAHAN (Kevin) and, James (Robin.) Also, her beloved grandchildren, Claire ROBBINS, Marshall, Anna and Mary Elizabeth PORTER, John and Page HANRAHAN, Andrew and Jamie Ann PORTER. Also missing Shirley are David's children, Patty BROWN, Rick (Tamara) BROWN and his grandchildren, Eliza, Angus and Sydney BROWN. Shirley was predeceased by her first husband Johnston D. PORTER. She is survived by her brother John B. WIGHT of St. Adele, Quebec and sisters Joan (Lee) STETSON of Wellesley Hills, Massachusetts. and Norma (Robert) VESSOT of Marblehead, Massachusetts and many nieces and nephews. Shirley was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec. She attended MacDonald College, before moving to Calgary where she resided for over 40 years before relocating to Toronto. Many thanks to the wonderful health care professionals at the Palliative Care units of the Princess Margaret Hospital and Sunnybrook. In lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be forwarded to the Canadian Cancer Society or the charity of your choice. Private family Memorial Service. Reception at the York Club, Toronto, Friday December 14th at 12: 30 p.m.

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WIGHTMAN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-06-14 published
PROSSER, Lorne
It is with great sadness that the family of Lorne PROSSER is announcing his passing, on Monday, June 11, 2007, at the age of eighty-four. He will be missed by his loving wife Phyliss, and his children, Eric (Kathy) of Calgary, Keith (Chris) of Sioux Lookout, and Janice (Bill SKENE) of Dryden. He is also sadly missed by his grandchildren, Eric L. PROSSER, Darlene PROSSER, Jeremy PROSSER, David SKENE, Elizabeth SKENE, and Sara PROSSER, as well as his great-grandchildren Jennifer PROSSER, Kirstin PROSSER, Sofia WEBBER, and Aidan PROSSER, and family Friends Heidi Harder and Smilja Milanovic. Lorne was born in Windsor, New Brunswick, on February 10, 1923. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War 2. In 1943, he met and married the love of his life. Lorne and Phyliss shared 64 years of love and devotion. A long term resident of Montreal and Toronto, he worked for Maple Leaf Mills, The Globe and Mail, and Lake Simcoe Ice as an accountant. He retired from Lake Simcoe Ice as General Manager in 1984. Lorne was an avid bridge player and gardener, and was an active member of the church. He loved to read, especially the Globe and Mail reading it everyday for 50 years. He also enjoyed watching sports and he loved to see the Blue Jays win. Lorne and Phyliss moved to Dryden fourteen years ago to be near their family. He enjoyed the warm and friendly atmosphere of Dryden, and the chance to spend his last years surrounded by the love of his children and grand children. He will always be remembered for his kind and gentle nature. Lorne was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word. A memorial service for Loren PROSSER will be held on Friday June 15 at 2: 00 p.m. in the Stevens Funeral Homes 'Moffat Chapel' with Pastor Doug WIGHTMAN officiating. Interment in the Dryden Cemetery will follow the service. If Friends so desire donations may be made to the Dryden Regional Health Centre Palliative Care Fund through the Stevens Funeral Homes 'Moffat Chapel' P.O. Box 412 Dryden, Ontario P8N 2Z1. Condolences may be emailed to sympathycard@shaw.ca subject line: Lorne

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WIGHTMAN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-07-24 published
WIGHTMAN, Ruth Naomi (née SINGLETON) (1924-2007)
Passed away in Kingston on July 22, 2007, surrounded by her four children. She was predeceased by H.D. "Hank", her husband for 52 wonderful years. Ruth was the loved and loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother of Joe (and Chris) and their children Andrew, Beth, and Peter; Mary (and Phil) PROSPERO and their children Joe and Robert; Susan (and Phil) MORBEY and their children Naomi (and Jessee) RODRIGUEZ (and their children Elowyn and Caladh,) David, Eddie, and Andrew; and Tom (and his former wife Mary-Jean McINTYRE) and their children Douglas, Anne-Marie, and Spencer. She was the sister of Ross and Dick SINGLETON and was predeceased by her brother Pat and parents Omer and Naomi. Born in 1924, Ruth was raised in Saskatchewan, obtained her B.Sc. (U. Manitoba) and moved to Ontario. She loved the cottage, playing bridge, cryptic crosswords, and reading, and was known for her high intelligence, witty correspondence, and thoughtfulness. She will be sadly missed by her family and many Friends. The family will receive Friends at the Wartman Funeral Home, 448…Camden Rd. at Newburgh Rd., Napanee K7R 1G1, (613-354-3722) on Tuesday 7-9 p.m. Funeral Service in the Chapel on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 at 1: 30 p.m. Friends wishing to make a donation in her name are asked to consider Care Canada or TVO.

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WIGHTON o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-11-10 published
WIGHTON, Maureen
Passed away peacefully, at the Brampton Civic Hospital, on November 5th, 2007 at age 76. Dear sister to Daphne CARE of St. Ives, Cornwall, England and aunt to nephews Christopher and Colin CARE and their families. Close cousin to Margaret MILES and her husband Tony, and their family in Canada. She leaves cousins in England and Australia. "Auntie" Maureen was a great favourite of the family. She leaves a wide circle of Friends, whom she treasured. A Memorial Service will be held on Friday November 16th at 11 a.m. at the Scott Funeral Home (Brampton Chapel), 289 Main Street North, Brampton (905-451-1100). In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Canadian Cancer Society or a charity of your choice would be appreciated. Please sign an online book of condolences at www.scott_brampton.ca

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WIGLE 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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