DR. HOWARD REED

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DR. HOWARD REED Peacefully on Monday, November 15, 2010, Howard Reed passed away in his 97th year. He was predeceased by his wife Margaret (1975), his wife Carolyn (2005) and his sister, Grace. Howard will be sadly missed by his children, Martin (Joy), Colin (Rowena), both of Winnipeg, and Alison (David) of Stirling, ON, and by his American family - Carolyn's children, Sharon Davenport (Dale) of Rochester, IL, Mike Murphy (Jean) of Boscobel, WI, Ed Murphy of Minneapolis, and Randy Wade Murphy (Susan) of Cincinnati. He is also survived by grandchildren Mark, Graham, Michael, Anna, Neil, Charles, Shannon, Michael, Jennifer, Philip, Andrew, Marcus, Katie, Ed, Matthew, Meghan, Jessica, Tanner and Brooke, and five great-grandchildren. Howard was born in London, England on April 28, 1914. He was already an accomplished pianist and organist when he decided to pursue a career in medicine. He started by obtaining his qualifications as an optometrist. He paid his way through medical school by working as an optometrist in the evenings and weekends, then attending classes at the London Hospital Medical School by day through the week. War changed the course of his medical studies. All medical school residents were being called up for active duty as regimental medical officers in the armed forces. He was sent to various hospitals in London to handle casualties from the bombing raids. He continued his residency at each in turn. He ended up graduating in 1941 from Connaught Hospital medical school. Howard met Margaret and courted her through the early years of the war, marrying her on July 5, 1941. Around the same time, he had to make a choice between serving in the Medical Core of the army or the Colonial Medical Service. He chose to serve with the Colonial Medical Service since that way he would not be required to take lives. In 1943, he was sent to Tanzania in East Africa. Margaret and Martin later travelled out to join him and Colin was born there. Upon returning to England he registered for ophthalmology at Oxford University, and received his diploma in 1947. He passed his F.R.C.S. examination in 1950 and began his practice in Bexleyheath, south of London. Ever the adventurer, Howard replied to an advertisement to open an eye department in the Winnipeg Clinic. The position came with a professorship at the University of Manitoba and hospital beds in the General Hospital. So in 1953 he moved his family to Canada. He remained with the Winnipeg Clinic until his retirement. For a time he served as head of the Ophthalmology Department for the Children's Hospital. He founded the Eye Department at the Misericordia Hospital. Howard was instrumental in setting up the first eye bank in Manitoba for corneal grafts. In 1960 he wrote the textbook The Essentials of Perimetry, with a second edition being published in 1972. Together with Margaret, in 1966, he founded The Canadian Journal of Ophthalmology, which is still in publication today. Throughout his life Howard enjoyed reading and learning. Just before he entered hospital he had his first Skype session! He enjoyed travelling, and while still working, spent several months each year working in underdeveloped countries volunteering his time to do ophthalmological work in various hospitals, thus combining his love for adventure with his compassionate need to help others. Howard was a gentle soul who will be missed by all who knew him. He was a true gentleman, kind, courteous, soft-spoken and patient with all. Extremely intelligent, he was intellectually curious and open-minded about matters scientific, political and spiritual. A memorial service will be held Sunday, December 19, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. at Thomson Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the charity of your choice. THOMSON FUNERAL HOME 669 Broadway, Winnipeg, MB R3C 0X4 783-7211 Condolences may be sent to www.thomsonfuneralchapel.com

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Nov 18, 2010