Herbert James "Jim" Portelance

PORTELANCE, Herbert James "Jim"
1932 - 2024

Herbert James "Jim" Portelance, MD, passed away peacefully on March 30, 2024, in Langford, B.C., after a long and full life.

Jim was born September 8, 1932, to Hilaire "Bud" and Mabel Portelance in Prince George, BC. He was raised in the small, isolated town of Ocean Falls on the central coast of British Columbia, where his father worked as a saw filer and ran the mill. He was the youngest of three boys. Jim graduated from a high school class of only 15 students. As a youth, he performed on alto saxophone in a band and dedicated himself to training at the pool with Tom Jones, a pioneering swim coach. Jim earned trophies at Provincial and Canadian championships and traveled to Seattle, Washington, where he won the Green Lake open water mile three times. In 1950, during his senior year in high school, Jim represented Canada in the British Empire Games in Auckland, New Zealand. The team, which included Jim and his brother Leo, sailed by the steamship Aorangi and trained in a small pool using harnesses attached to stretch cords. The journey took many weeks, causing Jim to miss three months of the school year. Ocean Falls had become the dominant swim team in Canada. On the Canadian British Empire Games team, three of the five male swimmers and the coach hailed from the small town. Jim brought home a silver medal in the 1650 freestyle. He returned to Canada, where his principal threatened to deny his graduation. Challenging that decision, he sat for the provincial graduation exams. He scored the highest in the province.

"It's great to be a Husky." Jim accepted a full-ride scholarship to swim at the University of Washington in Seattle. Needing a place to stay, he pledged the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity and landed a job washing dishes. It was in that kitchen that he met the woman who would later become his wife. Letitia "Tish" from Bainbridge Island, also a UW student, wandered in looking for a glass of water during a fraternity party. Jim was smitten. Jim broke the US National Freshman record in the mile as a Husky swimmer. He graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1954. The following summer, he again represented Canada at the British Empire Games in Vancouver, BC.

Although he was accepted to two Canadian medical schools, in Jim's words: "love overruled patriotism." He chose the University of Washington School of Medicine. He and Letitia were married on August 20, 1955. Their first child, Ronald, was born the following year. In his final year at school, Jim took a pathology elective and performed autopsies at King County Hospital with a partner classmate. Throughout his life, he enthusiastically retold stories about his experience, including the case of a man who died after a seizure with the surprising discovery of a bullet in his brain at autopsy. He valued working as an extern at Seattle's Swedish Hospital, where he performed admission history and physical examinations on preoperative surgical patients.

After graduating in June 1958, one day before the birth of his son Douglas, Jim returned to Canada with Tish and their two boys. In his words: "I had pipe dreams about doing a residency at Tripler Hospital in Honolulu. But I was still on a student visa and had been informed that if I became a U.S. resident, I would be subject to the draft anytime up to age 50. With all that in mind, I went back to Canada." The family grew with the addition of two daughters, Jeanne and Margaret. They bought a one-story cottage on picturesque Glen Lake outside Victoria, BC. For many months, Jim dug out the space below the house, one wheelbarrow load at a time, before and after long days at work, to double the size of their home and make room for their growing family. Over the years, countless celebrations and family gatherings were held on the lake, including daughter Jeanne's wedding and 50th and 60th-anniversary parties honoring Tish and Jim.

Jim practiced medicine in the Langford area of Victoria, BC, as a general practitioner for over 50 years. His passion for the art and science of medicine and commitment to the education and care of his patients was admired and appreciated. He was instrumental in establishing and developing St. Anthony's Medical Center, bringing the first Urgent Care/Treatment Center to the community. As a dedicated physician, he was honored to deliver babies from multiple generations of families. Moreover, he was among the last general practitioners to do house calls in the greater Victoria area. He even checked his patients' refrigerators to see if they ate well! Over the years, he developed an interest in and expertise in allergy and immunology and added consulting to his practice. He retired one month before his 80th birthday.

In addition to his busy medical practice, Jim volunteered as a swim coach for a local club, the Juan de Fuca Cohos, where all four of his children competed. He served as a school board trustee for twelve years and as chairman for two years. He also served on the Board of Governors for the University of Victoria for five years. Jim always placed a high value on education. He was proud to see his four children graduate from college (three from the University of Washington and Jeanne from the University of Victoria) and his son Doug attend his alma mater, University of Washington School of Medicine.

Jim and Tish loved to travel. They visited many places in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. They looked forward to their annual trips to Maui, often joined by family. While his daughter Jeanne was an exchange student in Australia, he and Tish journeyed to Honolulu, Tahiti, New Zealand, Fiji, and Australia. Through the years, Jim and Tish hosted many international exchange students from places as diverse as Nigeria, Maldives, New Zealand, Mexico, Japan, and Finland. As a service to the community, Jim acted as the physician for the Rotary International Youth Exchange program.

Jim had a lifelong interest in history, science, geography, and medicine. As a boy, he followed the battles of WWII and charted them on a map. He made delicious root beer at home with his children, nurtured a large vegetable garden, made wine, looked forward to his bonfires, and was a voracious reader. He joined a friend who was a mining engineer on excursions to potential mine sites, searching for copper and silver. He was fascinated by people's origins and enjoyed guessing a person's ancestry based on their last name.

In later years, Jim returned to the pool as a Master's swimmer with the Victoria Crystal Silver Streaks. He set numerous records, including a Provincial record for age 75-79 in the 1500-meter freestyle in 2010. In 2004, he even landed on the "Senior Living" magazine cover, showcasing local athletes preparing for the Senior Games. He was delighted to join three generations of Portelance swimmers for the Emerald City Open Water Mile in Seattle, Washington, always winning a mug for his age group. The swimming genes traveled down to his grandchildren as well.

Jim is survived by his wife, Letitia; children Ronald (Merily), Douglas (Sharyn), Jeanne (Eric), and Margaret (Jay); grandchildren Dylan (fiancée Regina), Gailyn, Claire, Grace, Allison, Elspeth, Jack, Kathleen, and Roman; and nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

We heartily thank the caregivers at Selkirk Seniors Village and Priory Long-Term Care: Beechwood staff and Dr. Saunders-a special thanks to Dr. Tony Jong for his cherished and steadfast support.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice. A private family gathering will be held at a later date.