Dr Kenneth Telford 1913 - 2004
Dr Kenneth Munro Telford passed away peacefully in Victoria on 8 June 2004, in his 92nd year. He is survived by his wife, Grace, after a marriage of 61 years, and by their sons, Malcolm (Helen) and Gordon, and daughter, Allison (Rene) Weir, as well as 12 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. He was the son of Dr Robert and Mrs Maude Telford of Vancouver, where he grew up.
Dr Telford earned a BSc from UBC and graduated in medicine at McGill University in 1940. While interning at Vancouver General Hospital, he met his future wife, Grace Fuller. He joined the army and served as a medical officer at Vernon and Petawawa military hospitals. After the war he took postgraduate studies at McGill and at the Hammersmith Hospital in London, England. After returning to Vancouver, he practised internal medicine until his retirement in 1982. Later he and Grace moved to Victoria to be near the rest of their family.
He was a tall, erect man who was always elegantly dressed to suit the occasion whether formal or informal. He greatly admired people who had a “good carriage” and he personified this himself. He was a good companion and had many anecdotes to tell from his long and very useful life. His stories gave much insight into the medical history of BC, especially as he was from a medical family. With his very distinctive sense of humor he had many jokes to tell, and while his jokes revealed a gentle amusement at people’s foibles, they were never malicious because of his strong sense of duty and respect for people. With a sound training in internal medicine plus a willingness to treat his patients on a long-time, almost lifelong basis, he was able to give a type of personal care that is difficult to duplicate in practice nowadays.
Dr Telford’s patients often were or became his personal friends. Medicine to him was always about the care of individuals, and he came to know them in great depth. Kenneth and Grace had a wonderful marriage and family life to the very end.
—Bruce F. Paige, MB
Vancouver