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Nouvelles
John Frederick Seely '53
Dr. John Frederick Seely ’53 passed away peacefully on December 18, 2009 after a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his four children, Jean, Alison, Andrew and Dugald; eight grandchildren, Alexandra, Adrian, Savannah, Forest, Logan, Phoebe, Tristan and Lilah; sons and daughters-in-law, Mark Liepmann, Kevin Mahoney, Kathy Patterson and Sarah Young; ex-wife and friend Janet Christie-Seely; and brothers David, Peter and Robert. John touched the lives and hearts of innumerable patients, families, students, residents and healthcare colleagues, first as a nephrologist at The Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Professor of Medicine and Director of the McGill Nephrology Division, next as Physician in Chief of the Ottawa Hospital, then as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, and last as a palliative-care physician at the Ottawa Hospital. He exemplified great compassion and integrity as a physician focused on whole-person care. Dr Seely was recognized internationally as a teacher, administrator, communicator and clinician. He served on several national medical committees, including the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada CANMEDS 2000 project. He handled his illness with remarkable dignity.
Published in The Ottawa Citizen from Dec. 19 to Dec. 20, 2009
From Ottawa Life:
John Seely was highly regarded among Ottawa’s medical community for his depth of compassion and devotion to patient care. For many years, he was the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa, but eventually stepped down to return to clinical
care to focus his attention on helping terminally ill patients. Working with lifelong friend Dr. Balfour Mount, the founder of palliative care in Canada, he developed the palliative care program for The Ottawa Hospital.
“My father was greatly supportive of the vision for the OICC and joined the board of governors of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine of which the Centre is a part”, said John’s son Dugald Seely. “He fully believed in and exemplified whole-person, patient-centred care. A medical doctor like many in my family, my father wasn’t biased towards a limited perception of what medicine is, but rather was biased entirely towards what benefits the patient.”
Among many other thoughtful words Dr. Balfour Mount used to describe Dr. John Seely, “invaluable” was one of them. “…he was a remarkable listener,” said Mount. “He had the capacity for radical presence. That was the kind of person he was and it showed in his clinical work or in conversations with a friend.”
When John’s former patients tell their story of being unwell, they talk of his reassuring voice, his incredible warmth, his smile, and his ease with words. When he spoke, it was to explain to the patient exactly what was happening, to ease concerns, to inquire how they were coping, to talk to them of spiritual needs. Never in a rush, and taking the time each day to visit his patients even if they hadn’t requested it.
Published in Ottawa Life magazine, November 2013
