Editor’s note: It was Dr. Wray’s wish to keep public acknowledgments to a minimum. We hope with this story we kept the spirit of his wishes while recognizing his contributions to the community.
Barrhead is in mourning after learning the loss of one of the community’s longest-serving doctors.
Dr. Marvin Brent Wray passed away peacefully in his home on Nov. 13.
Wray came to Barrhead in the early 1970s after graduating from the University of Alberta and completing three years of residency at the university’s hospital.
“His specialty was obstetrics and gynecology,” said long-time colleague Dr. Tim Kallal.
The pair worked together at the Barrhead Clinic as well as the healthcare centre. Kallal would often serve as an anesthesiologist for Wray when he was performing gynecological surgeries or performing a cesarean section.
Kallal said for many of Wray’s 40 plus years of practicing medicine, he was one of the only general practitioners, who specialized in obstetrics. More specifically he was only one of two doctors, Kallal noted who was able and willing to perform cesarean sections.
“In a lot of small towns, if there isn’t someone there who is willing to do a cesarean section, they can’t do obstetrics,” he said. “It is because of [Wray] we delivered thousands of babies, instead of having people go elsewhere,” he said.
Kallal added Wray was well respected throughout the medical community and colleagues often came to him for advice.
“He was very approachable and always willing to help,” he said.
Dr. Jeff Hankinson agreed, noting although they practiced at different clinics, he had the pleasure of interacting with Wray on several occasions.
“Whether it was helping a colleague by performing a C-section or advising someone on a difficult birth, Dr. Wray always made himself available,” he said.
What Hankinson remembers most about him is his dedication to his patients, noting they always came first.
He added there were few people in Barrhead as community-minded as Wray, noting not only did he devote his entire career in Barrhead but volunteered his time a lot of his time.
“He especially liked to help out the kids playing hockey, whether that was by providing first aid, manning the scorebox, or giving encouragement to the players,” Hankinson said.
Kallal added Wray was not only approachable by his colleagues, but by anyone.
“He was very affable and loved to talk to people. He was a regular at A&W, shooting the breeze,” he said, adding one thing people might not know about Wray is that he loved cars and motorcycles. “He was especially a fan of high-performance cars like Mercedes.”
Despite his love for automobiles, Kallal said Wray rarely travelled, at least not far, preferring to stay close to home to be close to his patients.
The Barrhead Leader was also approached by long-time pharmacist Rita Lyster who had the opportunity to get to know Wray on multiple levels.
As a pharmacist, she remembers Wray as a consummate professional, who was always willing to collaborate to provide the best possible care for his patients.
She also discovered this first-hand by being a patient of Wray’s for more than 30 years.
“He delivered two of my three daughters and was attentive, easily available and gave exemplary care,” she said.
Lyster also had the opportunity to work with Wray in his position as the Barrhead Healthcare Centre’s medical director and as part of the community’s physician attraction and retention committee.
With his help, the committee was able to successfully recruit several doctors including Dr. Adel Abdulhafid, Dr. Ramy Gurges (an anesthetic specialist), Dr. Majid Shibil (surgeon) as well as family doctors Fathi Hassan, Craig Gradwell and Novida Pather.
Pather’s husband Prinesan Chithiya said: “[Dr. Wray] was the most humble, compassionate and caring individual I’ve met here in Canada. I will always remember him for being there for Novida and me when we first came to town.”
However, what Lyster will remember most about Dr. Marvin Brent Wray is their friendship.
“[He had] a sarcastic, dry humour and we had many good laughs together. His loss has certainly left a hole that will take a long time to fill.”
