After a rich life full of love and joy, Dr. Gordon Cameron died in Toronto on Aug. 5, 2022, his 101st year.
Gordon was the beloved husband of Doreen, who died in 2010; predeceased by siblings Marion, Elizabeth and Duncan; cherished father of Christopher (Karen), Virginia (Leonard), Gordon (Marjorie), Ian and David (Kristine); fondly remembered by many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Born in Toronto on Sept. 4, 1921, Gordon entered medical school at the University of Toronto a few days after the start of the Second World War. After graduation in 1944, he served as a captain in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps.
After an internship at Toronto Western Hospital and residencies in internal medicine at Wellesley and Sunnybrook Hospitals, he and his new bride, Doreen, sailed to London, England in 1951, where he obtained his fellowship at the Royal College of Physicians.
In 1954, he was part of the enterprising medical staff that founded Scarborough General Hospital, serving as the hospital’s first chief of medicine and ending his career as director of the Crockford Pavilion. He retired from practice in 1987.
Possessed with a lifelong love of learning, Gordon was always wistful about the perfunctory speed with which he passed through university during the war, so after he retired from medicine, he began taking undergraduate courses in humanities at Glendon College, eventually graduating with his BA at age 80.
All his long life, Gordon manifested a love of the outdoors and the natural world. From his teenage canoe trips in Algonquin Park to fifty summers with Doreen and his extended family at Kawagama Lake, he was most at peace when he was surrounded by fresh water and boreal forest. He also cherished the countless hours he spent in his home workshop, where his woodworking output ranged from guitars to canoes.
Over the years, his children were the beneficiaries of his understanding of the outdoors, his scope of knowledge, his love of music, his sense of humour and his gentle wisdom.
Special thanks to Dr. Alena Hung and the nursing care staff of K2E at Sunnybrook Veterans Centre for their exemplary care and support.
In remembrance, please consider a donation to the Sunnybrook Veterans Centre or the charity of your choice.