Obituary of Patrick Fyfe

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Patrick Robert Fyfe. Surrounded by his loving family, Dr. Fyfe passed away on Thursday, August 8th at the age of 87. Dr. Fyfe was born on February 10th 1926 in Cobalt, Ontario. He was the sixth child of Mary Fitzpatrick, an infectious disease nurse, and Joseph Bernard Fyfe, a long-term superintendent at INCO. Dr. Fyfe was brother to Sudbury Anaesthesiologist‏ Dr. Joseph Fyfe (Joan); Margaret Orange (Robert); Bernadine Yackman (Fred); Rita Atkins (Peter); and Michael Fyfe. After graduating from Sudbury High in 1944, Dr. Fyfe was accepted to study Medicine at the University of Toronto. Feeling it was his patriotic duty, he put university on hold to enlist in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War alongside his best friend Dr. Norman Sinclair. Dr. Fyfe trained in British Columbia for active service in the Pacific but the war ended before he was deployed. Dr. Fyfe graduated with honours from the University of Toronto in 1949 and practised medicine in various locations in Ontario and Quebec. He later returned for post graduate work and studied Orthopaedics at the University of Toronto. He interned at Chase Farm Hospital in London, England and then at Toronto East General where he met a beautiful physiotherapist named Doreen Fogarty. The two were married in 1959. Dr. Fyfe graduated in 1965. After working at the Workmen's Compensation Board Rehabilitation Hospital and Toronto Sick Kids, Dr. Fyfe moved to the booming city of Sault Ste. Marie in 1966. He worked for many years as the only Orthopaedic Surgeon in the area and was revered for his skill, work ethic and compassion. Dr. Fyfe had multiple offers to relocate to other cities in Canada and the United States but opted to remain in his adopted and beloved hometown. Besides his own practice, he was very active in recruiting other physicians to come to Sault Ste. Marie. Dr. Fyfe was extremely proud to be Canadian and always felt grateful for the opportunity to live, work and raise his family in Northern Ontario. After nearly six decades of work and touching thousands of lives, Dr. Fyfe retired in 2006 at the age of 80. That same year he was awarded the William Hutchinson award which recognizes distinguished contributions to health services in Sault Ste. Marie and the District of Algoma. In 2012, Dr. Fyfe was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his significant contributions to Ontario and Canada. Dr. Fyfe passed on his love of the outdoors and sports to his children. His final days were spent fondly reminiscing about his many fishing, camping and sailing adventures. He really appreciated the simple things like Greyhound hockey games, Labrador retrievers and tomato sandwiches. He is survived by Doreen, his loving wife of 54 years, and his seven children - Trevor, Sean (Allison), Tracey, Siobhan, Brendan, Seamus and Erin (Sean Dwyer) - and five grandchildren - Mikaela, Liam, Ailish, Finn and Grayson. He will also be remembered fondly by his brother-in-law John Fogarty (Marie), sister-in-law Margaret Swain (Frank) as well as his many nieces, nephews and extended family. Family and friends are invited to visit at Northwood Funeral Home Cremation & Reception Centre (942 Great Northern Road) on Monday, August 12, 2013 from 2-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. Funeral mass will be held at Precious Blood Cathedral (778 Queen St. East) on Tuesday, August 13, 2013 at 10 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Sault Area Hospital Foundation - http://www.sahfoundation.com/. The Fyfe family would like to extend their sincerest thanks to the staff at the Sault Area Hospital for their excellent care and comfort during Dr. Fyfe's final days.