By: Adrienne Melck, MD
Dr Ruth Oliver, 1946–2022
Issue: BCMJ,
vol. 65, No. 1, January February 2023,
Page 30 Obituaries
Ruth passed away peacefully in her sleep at age 76. Her love of family and faith remained till the end. Born in South Africa, she was predeceased by her father, James, and mother, Mary. She is survived by her daughters, Tamara (Damian) and Adrienne (Graziano); grandchildren, Amayah, Xavier, Lucy, and Irie; and seven siblings. Ruth graduated from medical school in Durban, South Africa, in 1972 and then immigrated to Canada, where she completed her residency in psychiatry at Queen’s University in Kingston in the late 1970s. Most of her professional career was spent in outpatient practice in the Lower Mainland. She retired in 2009. She was a brilliant, skilled, compassionate, and dedicated physician, loved by her patients and colleagues. She often used her many creative talents to help the less fortunate, including baking for her local soup kitchen, making blankets for homeless shelters, and providing flower arrangements for her church using flowers from her own beautiful garden. She will be deeply missed, but we’re grateful for her towering example. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Covenant House (www.covenanthousebc.org), which supports young people facing homelessness, a cause near and dear to Ruth’s heart.
—Adrienne Melck, MD
Vancouver
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