Passionate doctor a pillar of Bronte community by John Bkila Oakville Beaver Staff 3 | Friday, September 5, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Dr. Douglas Peter Walmsley, a beloved and passionate Bronte doctor and family man, has died at the age of 95. Dr. Walmsley died Wednesday following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer after being diagnosed with the disease in July. His daughter Linda Fletcher said her father had never been admitted to hospital before that time. Born in Towcester, Northamptonshire in England in 1919, Walmsley was described as a "fine musician," working towards a piano degree when the Second World War broke out. He served four-and-a-half years in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in London, England, and moved to Canada to pursue his medical degree at the University of Manitoba, graduating in 1951. It was there he met the "love of his life," -- his wife Shirley. She described her husband as a loving, compassionate and religious person and very much a devoted family man. "He was just so happy spending time with his family... loved going camping with his children and grandchildren," she said. An outdoorsman with a strong knowledge of nature, Dr. Walmsley would go fishing, camping and take canoe trips -- he would continue to go portaging with a friend in Algonquin Park well into his 60s and 70s, said Fletcher. Dr. Walmsley married Shirley in 1952 and moved to Bronte in 1954 with an 11-month-old daughter (Fletcher), a mortgage and no income -- that is, until he set up his medical practice out of his home. "He was the only doctor between Kerr Street in Oakville and Brant Street in Burlington... the population in Bronte at the time was about 1,200," said Shirley. "When he made his first house call and came home with $4, he was so excited." Fletcher noted her father would at times get paid by other means, as she would often wake up to find chickens at the home. Dr. Walmsley was the family doctor of the first "test-tube twins" in Canada and was present for their birth. In his career, he would deliver more than 500 babies in Oakville, and in some cases within multiple generations. After retiring in 1995, Dr. Walmsley worked as a volunteer at the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) in the dialysis unit and as a pianist in the rehabilitation ward up until July. "He was an accomplished pianist. He saw music as a release, as a healer. He would continually see Walmsley on p.4 Dr. Douglas Walmsley, pictured above at a birthday celebration, and below, serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1944. | submitted photos Helping You Make Smart Decisions About Your Money Voted #1 Financial Planner 11 Years Thank you for this year's First Place award for Best Financial Planner and Gold award for Investment Company Sore Feet, Sports Injury, Painful Ingrown Toenails? Plantar Warts? We can help! Exceptional footcare for all ages. · Routine footcare · Corns & calluses · Plantar warts · Heel/arch/foot pain · Diabetic footcare and education · Thick or ingrown nails · Nail surgery · Sports related foot problems & injuries · Custom made orthotics · Sigvaris® compression stockings · Evenings and saturday appointments available · New patients welcome! J. Richard Werkman chiropodist GOLD Peter Watson MBA, CFP, R.F.P., CIM, FCSI Certified Financial Planner Since 1991 Now offering Laser treatment for toenail fungus. located on the north/west corner of maple grove dr. and cornwall rd. 1495 Cornwall Rd., Suite 33, Oakville T: 905-845-4817 www.werkman.ca 220 Randall Street · Downtown Oakville Phone: 905.842.2100 www.peterwatsoninvestments.com Don't Compromise on Driver Training upComing Courses september 13, 14, 20, 21 2 weekends 9:30 am to 3:30 pm october 4, 5, 18, 19 2 Weekends 9:30 am to 3:30 pm october 14,16,21,23,28,30 november 4,6 Tuesdays & Thursdays 4 Weeks, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm Located in Downtown Oakville for over 25 years! www.drivewiseoakville.com 905-845-7200