- We are sad to announce that Wendell Holmes Jeffrey,passed away peacefully on August 26, 2018, in the Veterans Unit, Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital, Lunenburg. Born in picturesque Sandy Cove, Digby County, on December 22,1921, Wendell was the second eldest of eight children. His father, Floyd Vertal, made a modest living from the sea and the land and his mother, Margaret Elizabeth (Holmes), was a teacher and organist at the local Baptist church. After graduating from Normal College, he taught in a one room school in Great Village, Nova Scotia prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. He then served his country in the RCAF during the war, and later attended Dalhousie University with the assistance of the Royal Canadian Air Force Benevolent Fund earning a Bachelor of Science degree. Subsequently, he was accepted into the Dalhousie Medical School and graduated as Doctor of Medicine serving in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Core as a commissioned officer during that time. He brought his young family to Shelburne, Nova Scotia, in 1953, practising medicine with great dedication, skill and compassion until his retirement. He is fondly remembered by his patients, physician colleagues, nursing staff and other health care workers. With original partner Dr. D.R. Campbell, he established the Shelburne Medical Group, one of the first group family medical centres in Nova Scotia, providing uninterrupted comprehensive medical care to the community, encompassing general medicine, obstetrics, anesthesia and surgical assistance. Despite a very busy medical practise, he was a dedicated and much loved father and husband and became the ultimate Pater Familias to his children and his grandchildren after the death of our mother, Marjorie and subsequently to his great grandchildren, never forgetting birthdays and special occasions. He also contributed to his community in other ways, serving on Shelburne Town Council and as president of the Shelburne Kiwanis Club, and was a founding member of the Shelburne County Golf and Country Club (now River Hills Golf Club). He had a lifelong love of music and sang baritone with the Shelburne men's quartet with Earle Smith, Earl Darrow and Stan West, accompanied by Dot Smith. He was predeceased by loving wife Marjorie (Hilton) Jeffrey, sister Florence (Fred) Sabean, brothers Fenwick (Laura) Jeffrey and Phillip (Helen) Jeffrey and daughter-in-law, Mary Jane (Michael) Jeffrey.
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1921 - 2018 (96 years)
