NORMAN KINNEAR SMITH

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NORMAN KINNEAR SMITH Norman Kinnear Smith died in White Rock, BC on December 4, 2015. The evening was mild and a blustery wind from the west blew showers inland from Boundary Bay. A hospice nurse was with him at the time of his death and his son and wife had sat with him earlier in the evening. Norman was born in Dundee on December 14, 1920. A proud Scot, he sailed from Glasgow to Montreal and back on a holiday with school friends in 1937 but he did not travel to England for a further seven years. In September 1939, he volunteered for the Black Watch but was told to come back when he had something useful to offer. He studied medicine at the University of St. Andrews and Dundee Royal Infirmary and joined the RAMC in 1944. He was posted to India and got his wings in 1945 after a jump course at Chaklala Airbase in Punjab. He wanted to make his career in the Indian Medical Service but he and his Airborne Field Ambulance had to return to the UK when India became independent in 1947. Back in Dundee, Norman met (Mona) Anne Barron, a recent graduate at DRI. They married in 1949 and in 1965 immigrated to Canada. Norman practised internal medicine at the Misericordia General Hospital in Winnipeg and in a shared practice in the Boyd Building with Anne. He was delighted to become a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh) but his proudest moment was when a patient travelled by bus from the North End, in the ferocity of a Winnipeg winter, to bring him a Coffee Crisp chocolate bar to have with his afternoon tea. Norman and Anne retired in 1988 and moved to the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Bereft of the excitement of practising medicine, Norman sought solace in golf and in weekly visits to his friends in the medical library at the University of British Columbia. He and Anne travelled to Spain, Germany, England and Scotland many times. Their last overseas trip was to Warrington and Manchester in 2009. Norman outlived his younger brother Alistair (Norah), sister-in-law Dot (Leslie) and friends since boyhood Jake Stohlner (Doreen) and Martin Langlands (Mabel). Beloved husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend, he in turn is survived by his wife Anne, son Graham (Alix), daughter Jocelyn (Vladimir), grandsons Jason (Erin) and Taylor (Larissa), great-granddaughter Winter, nieces Carole (Ian) and Linda, nephews Christopher (Elizabeth) and David (Jill), sister-in-law Della (Waddy), cousin Sheila, treasured former medical staff members Vi Heukeroth and Sue Gyorffy of Winnipeg, and cherished friends George Borrett of Winnipeg and Bobby Milne of Perth. Norman said several years ago that he had had a good life, full of adventure and friendship, and that now he was ready to go at any time. It would surely please him very much if you poured a glass of whisky and toasted Scotland and all of life's wonderful and rich possibilities. It was Norman's wish that no funeral service should be held. In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation to the charity of your choice.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 12, 2015