William Albert "Bert" FOWLOW

William Albert (Bert) Fowlow, MD, FRCS March 3, 1926 - May 25, 2016 Dear father of Patricia (Stephen) Muir and Beth (Peter) Duthie; grandfather of Alex (Megan Hepburn) and Sarah (Jeff Dickson) Muir, Allison (Joel) Goundry, and Christopher (Alexandra Runge) Duthie; great-grandfather of Beatrice Anne Goundry.

Predeceased by his beloved wife Bea, brother Fred, and nephew Ted Swain.
 He is survived by his sister, Islay Swain, sister-in-law, Joyce Fowlow, and extended family in Canada and the U.S.

Bert was born in Regina and grew up in small railroad towns around Saskatchewan. He graduated in medicine from the University of Western Ontario in 1949 and entered general practice with Bea in Arborfield, Saskatchewan, in 1950. From 1957 to 1959, Bert trained with the pioneers in plastic surgery at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, Sussex, and returned as Calgary's first plastic surgeon. A gifted and compassionate surgeon, he helped to blaze the trail for plastic surgery in the city by building strong ties within the medical community. Bert's warm, easygoing personality made him a well-loved surgical team leader, collaborator, teacher, and mentor in Calgary's hospitals for more than 30 years. Known for his expertise in hand surgery and reconstructive surgery for burns and trauma, Bert was instrumental in establishing the Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic at the Alberta Children's Hospital. He was a curling force to be reckoned with and a rowdy, enthusiastic member of the Calgary Medical Curling League. He was also a great art lover and enjoyed his involvement in Calgary's art community, which began in 1967, when he founded Kensington Fine Art Gallery with artist John Byrne.

The family is grateful to Dr. Bruce Wheeler and the staff of Extendicare Cedars Villa, in particular the dedicated staff of the Larkspur Unit and Barb Gillett. We have greatly appreciated the support of Bert's companions from Classic LifeCare, especially Bonnie, Salama, Martha, Bella, Brenda, and Kim, whose devotion and friendship brought much comfort to him. We are also grateful to Bert's longtime friends and to Rev. Kersi Bird and the congregation of the Church of the Good Shepherd for their kindness over many years.

A memorial service will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd (408-38th St. SW, Calgary, Alberta T3C 1T1) on Monday, June 20, 2016 at 2 p.m. Reception to follow.

If friends so desire, donations in Bert's memory may be made to the Church of the Good Shepherd, the Dr. Bea Fowlow Lectureship in Medical Genetics (University of Calgary Faculty of Medicine), or the charity of your choice.