Dr Alfonso Molaro

1930–2008

Alfonso Lawrence Molaro was born in Winnipeg and passed away in New York in June. His father came from Italy and his mother from North Dakota. He was predeceased by his brother Leonard and is survived by his sister Eleanor, of Manitoba. He met Maureen McCarthy in 1950 and they married in 1955. He leaves his beloved Maureen, daughters Marcia Carreira and Anita Patricia Molaro, and granddaughters Rhiannon and Nazare Carreira.

Al attended Holy Cross School in Winnipeg, then went on to St. Paul’s College, where he was awarded the Governor General’s Medal. He re­ceived his BA in literature and his MD from the University of Manitoba. He was very active on the debating team. Al did 2 years’ postgraduate work at St. Boniface Hospital then traveled to London for further postgraduate work at Middlesex Hospital. He received his specialist degree in internal medicine in Canada.

He loved music, played the piano, and was a strong supporter of the Vancouver Playhouse and the Vancou­ver Opera. He was very proud of his daughters, Marcia, who also played the piano, and Anita, who played the piano, the violin, and served as concert mistress to the Vancouver Youth Orchestra. Al and Maureen chaperoned the Vancouver Youth Orchestra to Russia, behind the iron curtain. Al was a perfectionist in every way, from being a meticulous dresser to a finish carpenter. He finished the interior of their home, and later built a one-room house on the back lawn for his beloved grandchildren, Rhiannon and Nazare.

Al was a builder not just of homes but of classic cars, which he successfully entered in competitions throughout North America. He was a very generous person and often rented homes in the US and Europe to spend time with his immediate and extended family. Among his co-workers he was re­nowned for the courteous and respectful way he treated all. His demeanor inspired confidence and love and he was a source of friendship, strength, and comfort to his family, friends, and patients.

In his profession he was a consummate physician who kept current by attending annual medical meetings in Rochester and New York. In Vancouver he practised with Dr Cecil Robinson and Dr George Walsh. He was on the staff at Shaughnessy Hospital, Vancouver General Hospital, Mount Saint Joseph and St. Vincent’s Hospital, and was an assistant professor at the University of British Columbia. Al retired briefly but soon returned to part-time practice to a Downtown Eastside clinic.

He and Maureen returned to his beloved New York for a vacation. Hours after seeing a production of Country Girl and enjoying a superb meal, he became ill, was rushed to St. Vincent’s Hospital, New York, where he passed away. Al loved work, loved life, and all that it provided. He left his mark on each of us.

In the words of St. Francis of Assisi, “It is in the giving that we receive and in the dying that we are born to eternal life.”

—Lawrence Matrick, MD Vancouver