Francis Hewetson Prouse, M.D., FRCS (C)

Having experienced and accomplished more than most of us could ever aspire to, Francis Hewetson Prouse passed away peacefully on Monday, December 4th, 2017. He was 95.

Born in Toronto on October 17th, 1922, Dad was raised in Brampton and Toronto. Having taken license in reporting his age, Dad worked as a teenager on various ships plying the Great Lakes, eventually becoming wheelsman on the Cayuga. It was likely here, decades before GPS, that he first developed his remarkable sense of direction and navigational ability. Dad then took the first of many 90 degree turns by choosing to pursue a career in medicine, graduating from the University of Toronto in 1946.

Following his graduation Dad spent time as a general practitioner in the interior of British Columbia. One particularly memorable adventure saw him lash himself to the skid of a helicopter using his own belt, while evacuating an injured patient from a mountainside above Smithers. While almost too tall to believe, we have a newspaper article to corroborate his tale.

After British Columbia it was off to England, by sea, of course, to study orthopaedics. Returning to Toronto, Dad spent time at The Hospital for Sick Children, before settling in what is now Mississauga as the first Orthopaedic Surgeon at the new South Peel Hospital in 1958. Dad practiced at South Peel, later The Mississauga Hospital, until failing eyesight forced his retirement in 1986. Over this time was honed a reputation as a highly-skilled, if at times stubborn surgeon. Most who knew him would say each was well-earned.

Through these years Dad also somehow found time to certify as an instrument-rated commercial pilot, build his own boat (36 feet, twin engines), learn everything worth knowing about steam locomotives and pipe organs, practice amateur radio, enjoy and maintain his beloved cottage on Georgian Bay, and in later years, drive some of his children crazy with endless questions regarding the failings of Microsoft Windows. For a time he even fancied himself a modestly proficient welder.

And of course, Dad also found time for family. As proud father to 7 fortunate children (the late David, Barbara, Steven, Geoffrey, Kristy, Karen, and David) and 6 grandchildren (Jennifer, Carolyn, Suzanne, Sarah, Tristan and Ava), Dad enriched all of our lives over many years. Following the sudden loss of his beloved wife Carol in 2016, he continued bravely forward, living independently, and enjoying and appreciating every small moment. We’re fairly certain that had he not succumbed to cancer, the century mark was well within his sights.

Survived by his brother Franklin (Nora), and an adoring extended family too numerous to mention, Dad has left a void that even the vastness of his own life will struggle to fill.

73s Dad.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) or Trillium Health Partners Foundation.