DR. KARL RIESE

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DR. KARL RIESE 1930 2015 It is with great sadness that the family of Karl Theodore Riese announces his death at St. Boniface Hospital on November 30, 2015. He is survived by his wife Carmel; his children Michael (Michelle), Nichole, Geralyn (Robert) Riffel, all of Winnipeg and Marc (Susanne) of Switzerland; eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren; six siblings and uncle Bernie in Duluth. He was predeceased by his parents Heinrich and Helene (Schilling) Riese. Karl was born in Selkirk on January 31, 1930 and grew up on the farm at nearby Little Britain. He attended St. Paul's High School and College in downtown Winnipeg and later the Medical College on Bannatyne Ave. After internship he received his MD degree in 1954 from the University of Manitoba and continued with two years resident training at St. Boniface Hospital. He married Carmel Regnier on June 20, 1956. They moved to Connecticut for three years to complete his general surgical residency. He received his FRCSC in 1958. In New York he did an additional two years of cancer surgery training at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. On return to Winnipeg in 1961 Karl was appointed to the medical faculty and had a private surgical clinic in the Medical Arts building, doing surgery at all the Winnipeg hospitals. In 1970 he was appointed as fulltime Professor of surgery and Chief of Surgery at St.Boniface General Hospital. In 1975, he was appointed medical director. He continued his surgical practice and teaching for forty years until his retirement in 2001. He was a founder and first president of the Canadian Surgical Oncology Society. He was a board member of the Taché Nursing Centre. Later Karl became an honorary life member of the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Medical Association. Karl enjoyed the cottage summer life for 35 years with family and wonderful neighbors. In retirement he volunteered with Hospice and Palliative Care Manitoba, the Youville Clinic, and The Society of Manitobans with Disabilities. Life became constricted by a slowly progressive muscle wasting disease (IBM), while joy in life continued until his death. A memorial event will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a scholarship in Karl and Carmel's name at the Arthur Mauro Centre for Peace and Justice at St. Paul's College, University of Manitoba.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Dec 12, 2015