George GOLDSAND

DR. GEORGE GOLDSAND Dr. George Goldsand, MD, FRCPC, MACP, MCFP(Hon) passed away suddenly yet peacefully on Thursday, December 22, 2022. He was a loving husband, father, zaida, brother, and friend to many; he will be dearly missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, Judy; his three children, John (Andrea), Gary (Osnat), and Janice (Marty); his seven grandchildren, Hayley (Geoff), Jaclyn, Michelle, Tommy, Sam, Ross, and Cale; and his sister, Helen Rosenberg. George was born in the Soviet Union in 1935 to Hans & Rosa Goldsand. They fled to Vienna in 1938, just before the Nazis occupied Austria. Thanks to his Edmonton family's persistence, they were able to escape to Canada where they spent their first two years on a farm near Vegreville, before moving to Edmonton in 1941. He attended the University of Alberta, where he received his medical degree in 1959. He then studied infectious diseases at the University of Pittsburgh, and returned to Edmonton as one of the first infectious disease specialists in Canada and founder of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the U of A. He was a stellar clinician and passionate educator, eventually serving as the Associate Dean for Postgraduate Medical Education for 14 years. He retired in 2000, but continued to be a lifelong academic. Even from his chair at the head of the dinner table, he was ever the professor- passionately teaching his children and grandchildren about topics that mattered most to him. George was happiest with his family around him and when his beloved Edmonton Oilers were on a winning streak. He loved traveling, photography, and the arts... but most of all, he loved his wife, Judy, with whom he enjoyed many years of adventure, laughter, and happiness. The funeral was held on December 27, 2022. A donation in George's honour to the University Hospital Foundation or the Beth Shalom Synagogue (both in Edmonton) would be appreciated.