William Joseph CONNELLY

CONNELLY, William Joseph C St. J, LRCP&S (Edinburgh), LRCP&S, LMCC, DPH (Glasgow), DCH (London), FRCP (Canada & London) William passed away after a sudden illness at Jubilee Hospital on October 10th, 2008. He was predeceased by his father, John Lynch, his mother Emily (Rooney), his much loved wife of 62 years, Marie Patricia (McDonald), and his oldest son, Martin. Born in Glasgow, Scotland on June 26, 1922, he leaves two sons, James (Susan), and Liam (Lorna), a grandson, Christopher (Fiancee Amanda) and a sister, Veronica (Nona) and long standing friends (Mary Corcoran - Victoria BC, John Harkes (Harkie) Craig, Victoria, Australia). As a captain and doctor in the British Army, he spent time in India assisting in the stabilization of returning injured WWII soldiers. William emigrated from Scotland to Canada with his young family in 1957. He was a caring physician, who was a Medical Officer of Health in Rotherham, England and in Weyburn, Saskatchewan. He dedicated much of his life to Emergency Medicine; as a senior medical officer with the Department of Health and Welfare in Ottawa (1961 - 1987), his work included assisting in the draft of the country's first provincial ambulance scheme; launching of the phenylketonuria (PKU) program in the 1960's (a protective test for newborns to find a treatable genetic disorder); providing advice leading to the early withdrawal of thalidomide from the marketplace in Canada; the management of the national Emergency Medical Stockpile; the development and delivery of St. John's Ambulance Training for many years; assisting in the development of our country's first emergency airport plans; the creation and deployment of emergency medical hospitals including some 20 hospitals around Saigon, during the Vietnam War. He retired to Victoria in 1988 to be closer to family. In addition to his work life, he loved visiting antique stores and flea- markets in search of curiosities. He was an avid golfer who loved to golf with his sons and grandson and who made his first "hole-in-one" at the age of 80. He was also an active member of the Knights of Columbus. A much loved entertaining storyteller, he will be missed by friends, family and his caregivers for the past few years. Funeral to be held Thursday, Oct 16th, 2008 at 10:00 AM at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Saanich, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Published in the Ottawa Citizen on 10/15/2008