Muhammad "Max" Zahir

1936 - 2021

Max left us at the week's end on the first day of spring. Symbolically, the finality of his passing was met with the dawning of rebirth. This was so in keeping with Max's steadfast quest to give meaning to every moment and to never trivialize life.

To those who encountered him during his lifetime, there would be no argument offered that few men have graced this blessed earth with the determination, grace, intellect and compassion as Max so aptly did.

He had an uncanny ability to listen when others would perhaps deem it futile. Eternally ungrudging and clement, he embodied the attributes of a true gentleman. All he encountered received the gift of his self-effacing disposition. No thing or no one was too insignificant, nor too prodigious, for his time and effort. Max was a lover of all things intellectual. His desire for learning was insatiable. He was a self-professed logophile and keen admirer of the English language. During his retirement one of his projects focused on reading all of Shakespeare's works. The quote from Hamlet: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," speaks to the sudden passing of our beloved Max. Even the most learned of men, for which he was one, could not explain why he was taken with such celerity, and why we lost him when we did will remain inexplicable. Truly, even science, for which Max dedicated much of his life as a physician and scholar, is not limitless.

As a Rhodes Scholar, Max achieved the highest of academic recognitions. Medical school classmates could only marvel at the fertility of his mind. Perhaps most importantly, Max fully engulfed the intellectual capacity he possessed in the most selfless manner possible: working steadfastly to improve the lives of others and transferring his vast knowledge for the betterment of society.

A further retirement master plan was to write his memoir, focusing on the consequential events of the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947. To remain silent on this tumultuous time in history offered no purpose for him. Many applauded him for taking on such an arduous and difficult task. It was not a text intended to entertain but rather to educate. Education, according to Max, was what held answers when questions abounded. Max sought answers to life's most imposing queries, regardless of the effort required.

Having lived in India, Pakistan, England, the United States and, finally, Canada, led to a life of cosmopolitan camaraderie. Maintaining these friendships brought him much joy and delight. Retirement allowed him greater ease in doing so for which he was most appreciative. While an intellectual at heart, Max firmly believed in the importance of a well-rounded approach to life. From playing many a bridge hand at Heritage House, engaging in heated matches at the Kamloops Tennis Club, to serving the community near and afar as an active Rotarian.

Max experienced many career highlights as a pathologist/hematologist, including his involvements with the British Columbia Medical Association (Doctors of BC), British Columbia Ministry of Health committees, as well as his time spent as Chief of the Royal Inland Hospital Laboratory, to name only a selected few. Broadening the scope of his profession to encapsulate all its facets gave him due recognition as a master in his field.

One of his most recent explorations was an exhaustive study of the impending impacts of the burgeoning climate crisis, and he presented his harrowing findings via an online presentation to the public last summer. Even a pandemic was not able to silence his voice. Once again, it was a difficult topic to address but one he deemed necessary to investigate and bring to the fore. Perhaps this was his way of reminding others to tread wisely on this earth and allow generations beyond to enjoy the fruits of all our labours in our future pursuits with modesty and grace.

Max would only want his own grandchildren; Alyssa, Kathryn, Nicholas, Max and Dante, to inherit an earth which would be viable for years to come. His own children; Sara (Joseph), David and Kate (Pierre), would be wished a life of health, and his devoted wife Maureen of fifty-six years, to be comforted by family and friends in perpetuity. Despite his numerous accomplishments and accolades, his family was his greatest treasure and source of inspiration. Animated discussions with children and grandchildren were memorable and held most dear. Adventures afar in his earlier years and closer to home in the latter part of his life, accompanied by his dear Maureen, were instrumental to his well-being. Summer eves spent with the family at the cottage on Shuswap Lake and winter morns at the condo at Tod Mountain breathed life into his beautiful soul. As his family grew, so did his heart. His unfailing support of his grandchildren did not go unrecognized. Max and Maureen took solace in simple pleasures. In the last year, weekly sojourns to Riverside Park, to simply sit and watch the water ebb and flow, provided much joy and comfort.

May tranquility be so deservedly yours, dear Max.
Generations will forever be in your indebtedness. Inshallah

The family expresses much gratitude to those who played such an important role at his end of life. As Max spent the majority of his career on the medical staff of Royal Inland Hospital, we think it would be most fitting to request, in lieu of flowers, a donation to the RIH Foundation in his honour.