McBIRNIE o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2007-09-26 published
McBIRNIE,
John
Edward
By Gaelah McBIRNIE,
Page
L10
Brother, husband, father, grandfather, surgeon, music lover,
friend. Born November 14, 1922, in Hamilton, Ontario Died April 7
in Alliston, Ontario, of a stroke, aged 84.
Dad was an impressive figure. As a little girl, I vividly recall
his imposing presence; the deep voice, the towering bulk, the
distinctive sound of his large sandaled feet crossing the driveway
in the summer. He presented a stern exterior, but underneath
was a beautiful man with a heart of gold.
John McBIRNIE was the eldest of three children born to Norman
William and Sarah Winifred
(McCARDLE)
McBIRNIE.
John attended Davisville Public School, then North Toronto Collegiate
for his high-school years. His aspiration for medicine led him
to the University of Toronto.
John spent time during his medical studies in San Diego, California.,
and it was there he married Nadine
BEARDMORE on December 2, 1948.
They lived in Toronto while John was completing his internship,
and during this time their four children were born.
John was soon offered the position of chief of surgery at Port
Colborne General Hospital in Ontario.
He liked the town and the job appealed to him, so in 1955 the
family moved to a beautiful, white house on the lake, across
from the hospital.
The sight of John walking to work in the winter, characteristically
wearing his hospital whites and sandals, was a familiar one in
town.
In 1973, John remarried to Patricia Arnold
CORLESS; he continued
at the hospital and ran a private practice until 1980.
At this time, he and Pat moved back to Toronto where he became
an associate staff member at several hospitals, assisting with
neurosurgery until he retired in 1999.
John was passionate about the arts, particularly music. Although
he did not play an instrument, he had an exceptional ear and
loved jazz.
John frequently drove to Buffalo to listen to musicians play.
After befriending the likes of such jazz giants as DIzzy Gillespie,
Junior Mance and Chick Corea, he would invite them back to the
house in Port Colborne for Sunday afternoon chili parties and
jam sessions.
The pride and joy of John's personal life was his farm near Mansfield,
Ontario, which, over the years, became his sanctuary. His love
of nature and solitude was evident from his attachment to this
secluded piece of land and by the periods of time he spent there
(with his dog, Chandler, and in the company of his colleague
and friend, Griff
PEARSON.)
It was at the Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston, Ontario,
where John suffered a massive stroke; it was there that he spent
his last days, surrounded by the people closest to him and from
whom he drew comfort.
Gaelah McBIRNIE is John's daughter.
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