Former Head Surgeon at Barrie Memorial Will Be Remembered By Many

On the morning of February 5th, Dr. B. Gordon Thompson left this world. The head surgeon and Director of Professional Services at the Barrie Memorial Hospital in Ormstown for many years, Dr. Thompson was an honoured and valued member of the community. After a brief battle with cancer, Dr. Thompson passed away surrounded by his loved ones.

Arriving in Ormstown in July 1964, Dr. Thompson was originally from Montreal. Having recently completed his residency at the Montreal General, he was sought out by Dr. Merril Stalker to join the team at the Barrie Memorial Hospital as a general surgeon. As both Dr. Thompson and his wife, Jane, were both from the city, the shift to country living was a shock, at first. “I soon grew to love it,” said Mrs. Thompson of the experience. The couple, who met while Mrs. Thompson was training to be a nurse at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, raised their four daughters in the Chateauguay Valley. Married since 1962, the couple enjoyed a fulfilling marriage of 53 years.

According to many of his colleagues, Dr. Thompson was an incredibly devoted surgeon. “Whenever we called, he always answered immediately, as if he was expecting your call,” recalled a nurse that had worked with him for many years.

“There were no beepers in those days,” explained Mrs. Thompson. “He’d answer those calls on the first ring—he was very dedicated. He just always put 100% of himself into everything he did,” she said. During the course of his career, Dr. Thompson found himself without a partner on two occasions, making it necessary for him to be on call 24/7, performing any number of surgeries, in many fields, from obstetrics to orthopaedics—in those days, many more surgeries were performed at the Barrie Memorial. His close colleague, Dr. Ken Aikin, who worked alongside Dr. Thompson for 25 years, claimed that Thompson “…was so into the hospital. He felt strongly about the hospital. You’d never find someone more responsible…the hospital was a big part of his life. He was pleasant to work with, no matter how hard the work was.”

Retiring in March of 1999 on his 65th birthday, the Thompson family relocated to Hemmingford in 2001. Dr. Thompson was a regular figure at the Hemmingford Golf Club, and an avid curler. A very active man, he always insisted on carrying his clubs for the full 18 holes every time he golfed (which tallied close to seven days a week). Other hobbies included working with computers and acting as an avid member of the amateur radio community, or as it is more affectionately known, “ham radio”.

Dr. Gordon Thompson was adamant about not having a funeral, so his family has opted to host a tree planting in Hemmingford come summer, when his entire family can be in attendance.