Samuel (Sam) Walter Nevil Gibson passed away on October 26th, 2022, in his 102nd year, after a very brief illness. Always an optimist, he lived a long and active life, with a strong sense of adventure and a commitment to Christian values. He loved people.
He is greatly missed by his children Gillian Gibson (William Taylor) Colin Gibson (Pauline) and Peter Gibson as well as grandchildren Mathew and Stephen Taylor and William, Meriel and Samuel Gibson. Sam was predeceased by his wife Norah of 67 years and his 6 siblings Naldrett, Maurice, Moira, Barbara, Meriel and Ronald of Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Sam was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland on June 5th, 1921, at the family home, Montpelier house, the 6th of 7 children of businessman William Gibson of Belfast and Edith Gibson (nee White) of Bristol. He grew up in a privileged but disciplined environment and part of a close-knit family that shared a lot of fun and humor.
Sam (aka Nevil in the UK) attended school at The Royal Belfast Academical Institution, where he excelled in mathematics. Following school, he commenced medical studies at Queens University of Belfast medical school and Officer Training Corps. With the outbreak of WWII Sam joined the Royal Airforce as a medical officer being stationed in Egypt and Kenya, but ultimately travelling through much of east Africa and the middle east. As WWII came to a close he was repositioned to Torbole Italy, where at 25 years of age, he was in charge of allied medical operations for southern Europe and Africa until his return to Ireland in 1948.
Sam completed his surgical training at Queens University, Belfast, where he met the love of his life Norah (nee Rottger) who had just completed her medical degree. They married in 1951 and moved to London England where Sam had been accepted as an ophthalmologic trainee at Moorfields, reputed then and still today, as the top eye hospital in the world. They started their family in England, and shortly thereafter moved to San Francisco where Sam completed a fellowship in Ophthalmology at UCSF.
In San Francisco, Sam and Norah fell in love with the freer way of life in America, and the beauty of the west coast. This presaged a later move in 1957 to join Dr Jack Siddall in ophthalmologic practice in Vancouver, Canada. Their Burnaby practice flourished, and partnership with Drs Bill Martin, Don Matheson and Bill Pratt grew to be one of the most established ophthalmic practices in the lower mainland. More importantly these colleagues all became good friends. Sam was fortunate in that he continued to enjoy the active practice of ophthalmology well into his 70’s.
Sam and Norah were both avid gardeners and worked tirelessly in their gardens in Vancouver and at Qualicum Beach. Sam had a passion for fixing things and there wasn’t anything he couldn’t fix when he put his mind to it. Sam loved to fish, and this motivated him to build a small fishing cabin on Lasqueti Island, which became a place where he would tinker, build sheds, moorings, and water collection systems. Sam’s love for Lasqueti has been passed to his children and grandchildren, who continue to enjoy many family holidays there.
In later years, Sam and Norah spent more time at their Qualicum Beach cottage, enjoying happy summers in the garden, fishing and playing tennis and golf with friends and family. Remarkably, Sam was still able to enjoy long weekends at Qualicum into his 102nd year, with the assistance of his devoted caregivers. Over the decades, there was a chain of Golden Labrador companions who shared his walks along the Fraser and Qualicum rivers, and around his Vancouver neighborhood.
One of the first sporting activities Sam introduced his young family to was skiing, having been introduced to skiing in Lebanon during the war years. He and Norah enjoyed weekly tennis at Shaughnessy Golf and Country club where Sam played well into his 90’s. He later made a successful pivot to the game of bridge and became an active member of the Shaughnessy bridge group, with who he played until his final days.
Sam grew up in a Presbyterian family in Northern Ireland, and throughout his life he was a regular Sunday attendee at Shaughnessy Heights United Church. During the early days of Covid, Sam’s most acute loss was not being able to attend the weekly church service. His faith clearly provided him with great strength throughout his life.
Family was always a priority for Sam, and he maintained close ties with his nieces and nephews in Ireland and Scotland, and more recently with his grandchildren. Nothing would bring a greater sparkle to his eyes than a telephone call from a grandchild or an Irish niece.
The family would like to express their appreciation for the outstanding medical care provided to Sam by Drs Ken Gin, Peter Black, and Fiona Duncan. In addition, the family make a special note of gratitude to Sam’s exceptional caregivers who enabled him to live with comfort and dignity in his own home until his final days of life.
A small gathering of remembrance and celebration will be held at Sam’s home at 3 pm on June 4, 2023 the day before what would have been his 102nd Birthday.
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