Obituary of Alan Frederick Bond

Alan Frederick Bond, BA, MD, FRCSC, FACS March 5, 1926 - November 5, 2016 Our father died peacefully at The Pines in Kimberley in his 91st year. Alan F. Bond came from an East Kootenay family that dates back to 1897 in Fort Steele. His maternal grandparents, John and Sarah Wirth, were married at St. Eugene Mission Church. His parents, Alan Kennard Bond and Annie Wirth, met when both were working for Consolidated Mining & Smelting, A.K. underground in the Sullivan and Annie in the cookhouse. Alan Frederick, their first child, was born when the family was living in a house constructed from powder boxes at Top Mine Camp on Sullivan Hill. Alan's only ambition after high school was to work in the mine as his father did and to continue to enjoy the outdoor life of the Kootenays. But a serendipitous intervention by the Sacred Heart Parish priest of the day led to his admission to St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto in 1944. From there he went on to the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, graduating with the class of '54. Through these years, he helped pay his way by working underground at the Sullivan Mine and bartending at the Elks Club during summer breaks. He began practicing medicine in Ontario as a captain with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, then worked his way westward, first at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon as assistant resident in surgery and then as surgeon at Brooks General Hospital in Alberta, before establishing a practice as a consulting general surgeon in Cranbrook, near his beloved hometown of Kimberley. Alan had a distinguished medical career. He was recognized by his peers as a gifted and forward-thinking surgeon and by his patients as a compassionate and expert healer. He was an honorary life member of the medical staff at Cranbrook & District Hospital and of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC. In 2007 the Endoscopy Suite at East Kootenay Regional Hospital was dedicated in his name in recognition of his pioneering work in the field. As a volunteer and hometown booster, Alan also made significant contributions to the economic and social fabric of Kimberley. While president of the Kimberley Ski Club, he helped launch today's destination resort with construction of the first on-mountain condominiums and opened up new ski terrain with installation of the triple chairlift in the North Bowl. Throughout his life, Alan was an athlete and sportsman. Basketball, hockey, curling, skiing, golf, river running … but above all, hunting and fishing. With rod or rifle, he ranged the mountains and waded the streams of the East Kootenay backcountry, gaining an intimate knowledge of and respect for the land that nurtured his soul. His favorite retreat was the family cabin at Bond's Bay on White Swan Lake. In retirement, he found happiness and dear friends on many sojourns in Nevada and Thailand. He loved to host dinner parties and was as skilled in the kitchen as he was in the operating room. Alan leaves his brother and sister-in-law Gerald and Janice Bond; his children Susan, Alan, Mary Ellen, Sarah and Kevin Bond and their partners Peter Moody, Barbara Bond, Daryl Powell, Narong (Lek) Wongnim and Rosanna Fisher; his grandchildren Heidi Long, Hazel Mousley, Stephanie, Nicole and Kathryn Bond, Laura Wright, Lewis and Georgia Jones and Danica Newham; his great-grandchildren Liam Pellegrino and Jacob Osborne; and extended family in Canada and England. He was pre-deceased by his wife Mary, son Johnny, brother Donald, sister and brother-in-law Helen and Herbert Cross, son-in-law Barry Jones, and his parents. Alan's children will hold a memorial event in his honour at a later date. Donations in his memory may be made to the Kootenay Wildlife Heritage Fund, PO Box 100, Kimberley, BC V1A 2Y5. Arrangements entrusted to McPherson Funeral Service. Condolences for the family can be offered at: www.mcphersonfh.com