Pamela Margaret Barton

Pam was born in East Molesey, England, on April 25, 1951, to Nancy Fitzgerald (née Preston) and Richard Charles Barton. She is survived by her husband Dr. Douglas Richard James, brother John Barton, sister Sue Schroder, and extended family on both sides in Canada, Great Britain, and New Zealand. Pam came to Alberta with her parents and sister in 1954 and grew up in Edmonton and Calgary. She graduated from the University of Calgary with an Honours BSc in biochemistry in 1973 and an MD in 1976, the year she married Doug. She joined him at the University of Minnesota where she trained in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, before completing her Canadian requirements at the University of Saskatchewan in 1981. In addition to achieving specialist qualifications in PM&R in the United States and Canada, she earned subspecialty board certifications in both electrodiagnostic and pain medicine. She held clinical and academic appointments at the universities of Western Ontario and Calgary, where her work focused on musculoskeletal medicine and chronic pain. In 1997, she cofounded and was the first medical director of the Calgary Chronic Pain Centre, where she maintained her practice. Admired by her colleagues and patients, she mentored medical students, residents, and professional peers, and was known for her expertise in treating the most complex cases. She was as committed to those in her personal life as she was to her profession, making no distinction between family and friends, passionate in her engagement with others, always generously sharing her wisdom and affection. For more than four decades, she and Doug cultivated a loving, respectful, and ever deepening relationship. Their appetite for adventure included kayaking in Haida Gwaii, trekking in Nepal, cycling in Morocco, scuba diving in Belize, and travelling widely and often. A Girl Guide and figure skater in her youth, she was an avid ballroom dancer, swimmer, walker, reader, student of Spanish and Pilates, and follower of the arts.

Please join Pam's family, friends, and colleagues in celebrating her life on Saturday, February 7, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Foster’s Garden Chapel, 3220-4th Street. N.W., Calgary, AB Donations in her memory may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada in lieu of flowers. Expressions of sympathy may be forwarded to the family via the website www.fostersgardenchapel.ca.