I came to know of Dr.Yunker's passing today. So devastated hearing this. He had treated one of my twin girl and I had the opportunity to meet him several times. My final visit was in June 2022, and I was shocked to see him in a wheelchair..Even in his painful condition, his smile and his compassionate look ..oh dear I can't forget it. Really sad to hear what he went through. My prayers with his family.

I’m so very sorry to hear of Dr. Yunker’s passing. I would like to send my sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

We first Dr. Yunker after an emergency room visit with my son. A bad ear infection that required surgery. It was a very stressful time for us. He was amazing - so calm and reassuring through the entire process.

My son remained in his care for 5 years.

He was such a kind and patient doctor, with a great sense of humour! When we were discharged, my son was so sad - Dr. Yunker was his favourite doctor!

May he rest in peace.

I had inner ear problems growing up that Dr. Yonker got under control and eventually cured with minimal damage. It's because of him that I've been able to listen to and create my own music and follow my passion in life. I found this after googling his name to find his email to say thank you for everything...

I am very sad to hear of Warren's medical struggles and death. We attended medical school together and I have very fond memories of his ambition, collegiality, intelligence and wry sense of humour. Sending my sympathies, condolences and thoughts to Rebecca and the rest of his family.

John Staples

Sorry to hear of Dr. Yunker's passing. I never met him but his impact on our family is huge. He was my niece Maeve's doctor and she is with us today because of his great work and devotion to her cancer care. She will miss him, as will many other children he has saved. Our family will be forever grateful for Dr. Yunker.

The Balmers

I am so incredibly sorry to have learned of Dr. Yunker’s passing. He had been part of the team caring for my medically complicated daughter since she was about 3. She’s now just shy of 13. He also performed surgery on one of my sons. Though it was clear to see his body slowly betraying him as the years passed, his gentle care and calm reassurances never wavered. He was an amazing doctor and will be so dearly missed.

Melaina Graham

Dear Rebecca & family. We are so sorry for your loss. While we did not meet Warren we see from the messages how much he was loved and admired by his family & friends & colleagues.

Carol & Mark

What I enjoyed most about Warren was his sharp wit and hunour. He always made me laugh. I loved how he laughed when we talked medicine and I would ask "what do they do for humans with that"(as a veterinarian).

Warren was famous around the neighbourhood for his spectacular scrambled eggs. I will always think of Warren when I try to scramble up my own sub-par plate.

I am so sorry for the loss of this ambitious, brilliant, accomplished, yet deeply thoughtful human, who touched so many people with his kindness, medical prowess and humour. He was a friend, neighbour, and also saw my son in his capacity as ENT. Much love to Rebecca, Adam, Eric and all his family and friends. Caroline, Ken, Liam and Cole.

Our family didn’t know Dr. Yunker personally, though he was the ENT for both of our sons at ACH and took care of our youngest’s tonsillectomy. We are so incredibly sorry for this tremendous loss and the devastation it’s left on hood family and friends… though we only knew him as our doctor, he had such a kind and gentle demeanour, always very thoughtful and considerate. Please accept our families deepest condolences and know we’re sending much love and support.

With love,

Erin, Pierre, Jakob & Ethan Donald

I'm so sad to hear of the loss of Warren. He was a great friend and I always enjoyed speaking with him. Caroline, Misha and I all give our condolences to his family.

I knew Warren a long time ago. I am so sad from this news. The Warren I knew was destined for amazing things and it looks like he achieved them. Family, love, career. I missed out an seeing all these amazing developments in his life, but I sure hope he understood how much he accomplished in so short a time. I've never forgotten our time together Warren - thank you for being a friend.

I’m very sorry to hear about Warren. Unfortunately I never met this young person, because I sure wish I had. I believe he was named after my father, Warren Keating, who was Mildred’s brother. Warren is a name one has to live up to! And it certainly sounds like he did with all his education, and zest for life. My Dad also lived his best life, starting with the Second World War, at the young age of 21. As a Regina Rifle infantryman, He earned a Military Cross for a battle at Moyland Wood , near the end of the war. He met our mother in Edinburgh at Red Cross dance for soldiers on leave. I know they were very fond of Keith & Shirley, always stopping to visit when passing through. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dad bounced little Warren on his knee! Interestingly, Warren Keating’s great-grandson, was born September 1st, 2023. My daughter named him James Warren Sutherland. Hopefully, he, too, will live up to our dear Warrens.

We met Dr. Yunker in 2011 when our 4-year-old daughter, Clare, came in through Emergency and ended up needing surgery. It was a stressful time. He came to chat with us right before the procedure. "I see you've brought your teddy bear, Clare," he said. Aghast, she replied, "Dr. Yunker, it's a dog, not a bear!" And without missing a beat, he countered "Clare, I'm a doctor, not a veterinarian." We all cracked up, and Clare was wheeled away with a grin on her face. He took such great care of our child, and of us too. We are one family who had one encounter with Dr. Yunker eleven years ago, but our gratitude is undiminished. To his family and friends struggling with the enormity of his loss, we send our love and deepest condolences.

I am so saddened to hear of Warren's passing and wanted to send my deepest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues. As a member of the Communications team at the Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation, I had the pleasure of getting to know him while sharing so many inspirational stories of the exceptional and compassionate care he and the rest of the ENT team provide to kids and families at the hospital. He will be remembered by us dearly for all he has done for our Foundation and for those kids and families. May he rest in peace.

With sympathy,

Katie Vanderwoude

Rebecca, Adam & Eric, we are so very sorry for your great loss. We went to medical school with Warren, and have such fun memories of those crazy times. Warren was super smart, funny and honest. He would ask the questions that we were all thinking, but no one else was brave enough to ask. We also had the privilege of working with him for many years at ACH; he was a wonderful colleague. Warren will be deeply missed. We are grateful to have known him, and we will always remember him. Praying for peace, hope and light in this most dark time for your family.

Dr. Yunker was my client during my former career as a medical device rep for 7 years. His humor, his down to earth personality, and his humility really stood out to me from the very beginning of our professional relationship.

I will never forget the very first time that I supported Warren and his team in the OR, because it was the day that I learned his degree of humility plus trust and respect for his support staff. I was just a visitor in his OR providing surgical support, and I made a comment about the settings of his machine just as he picked up the surgical drill. He paused, looked up at me, and asked: "Did I select the wrong setting, Jacqueline?" I was so surprised by his question that I paused too before responding, "No, I was just spot checking with you and the team." In that moment, I learned the incredible amount of humility that Warren possessed as a surgeon. He also showed me that he and I were working side by side as a team from day one, and that I was not just working “for” him as an external medical device rep.

I am very grateful to have had Warren as my client during the very early years of my career just fresh out of school. Warren was not only a great surgeon, an awesome pediatric doctor, and a talented medical contributor and wonderful collaborator, he was also a loving husband and father who spoke about his wife and children during our business meetings.

To his family, I give you my sincerest condolences. I understand the pain of losing a loved one to suicide, and I am incredibly saddened by the news of his passing. I have no doubt that Warren's memory will continue to live on and that his positive contributions to the medical community will continue to touch the lives of every patient that had the great fortune of being under his care.

Dr. Yunker was the ENT for our two boys. Although looked a bit intimidating initially he had a great sense of humor. We were glad to had him who provided thorough examinations, offered options and assurance. Our deepest condolences to his families and friends. Rest in peace Dr. Yunker.

Dr. Yunker was my daughter's ENT and put her ear tubes in when she was a baby. Although it was not a complicated procedure, he put my mind at ease with his kind and gentle demeanor. His presence will be missed by the entire ACH family. May he rest in peace.

I had the pleasure of working and learning alongside Warren in graduate school. He was intelligent and witty. I was sad when I learned of his diagnosis and even more so to know that the world lost a good man, father, husband, friend, doctor and so much more. May he rest in peace. Deepest condolences to his family and friends.

I only met Warren once. He walked into the room where I held my 1 month old son with trisomy 21 and he put a camera into his throat via his nose to see how things looked when George tried to swallow. He pulled the camera out and said everything looked fine. He was the reason my son went home the next day with us finally from the hospital and we were very grateful for him and the Dr who put us in front of Warren. I only call him Warren since all the people kept referring to him as Warren while we waited in the room at the ACH, as we had come from Rockyview. I addressed him then as Warren and had no idea he was an actual Dr till we sat down to look in George's throat. He was direct, he was prompt and he left no doubt that everything was working fine as he said. My wife shared this with me today and it took me a moment to remember the name since it was 6 years ago. What I appreciated about what I read today was the same thing I appreciated when I met Warren 6 years ago. Honesty! It is a shame the world has lost a person whom lived with integrity and honesty and sadly others now will not be able to have the experience we had. Our very best to the family and friends and may Warren live forever in your hearts as I am sure he will with the many patients he saw and treated over the years.

I am so sorry to learn to Warren's passing. He is always a friendly thoughtful and compassionate person to all whose paths crossed his. His scientific and medical skills/potentials have unfortunately been taken away far too early. He will be missed by many. I can't imagine the stress and anguish he must have dealing with in the past months. My deepest condolences to Warren's family. I will always remember the cheerful Warren who I last had lunch with in the summer when he drove up to Edmonton to pick up Adam and Eric from summer camp. May he rest in peace.

It was an honour to know and work with Dr. Yunker in the Short Stay unit at ACH. Sorry to hear of his loss. He was a wonderful co worker. His statement of “ living the Dream” always brought a smile. Sorry for the loss for his family. I know that he will missed by the staff at ACH.dh

I am so sorry to hear of Dr. Yunker’s passing. He was a wonderful colleague and incredibly caring and compassionate when I saw him with my own child.

He will be missed by thousands, but I can’t imagine the pain his family must be in and sending you all my love at this difficult time.

Many condolences to Dr.Yunker’s family . Prayers and love go to his family and colleagues. May his soul rest in peace

Don't have words to express our grief. Heartbroken. Next week we have an appointment to discuss a test result that our Dearest Dr. Yunker ordered a while ago and he was supposed to discuss. Our hearts are crying. He left us too early. Such a noble, decent, and down-to-earth soul has left this earth. ‎”Indeed, we belong to Allah (God) and we will have to return to Him.”

Rebecca, Adam and Eric, our hearts are with you in this time of extreme sadness. We always enjoyed Warren so much, especially his humour. He always made us laugh, he was droll and witty and we appreciated that (not to mention his fabulous taste in wine!!). We have such very fond memories of him. He was great company and we will miss him so much. We send you our love, our support, and our most deepest sympathies. Love, Cathy, Bryan, Aniella, Dominic, and Gia Rombough. And Layla too! Xoxoxoxoxo.

Dr. Yunker was one of the first physicians I ever had the pleasure to work with as a new medical student. I was fortunate enough to have met him through some research endeavours and then did a two week elective with him. To this day, that elective was one of the highlights of my medical career. Dr. Yunker instilled a passion for his work, along with kindness, caring and empathy for his patients. More importantly, he treated everyone around him with such kindness...and even as a medical student made me feel like I was important in the care of the patient. No matter how busy it was, he always took time to check in, do teaching and make sure the trainees were doing ok. I nearly pursued a career in pediatric ENT as his passion for his work was infectious! I am heartbroken to hear of his struggles over the last few years. My deepest condolences to his wife, children, and family. He was truly an amazing person and will deeply be missed.

We will never forget how wonderful Dr Yunker was with our son, Patrick for ear check ups and surgeries. Evidently skilled, Dr Yunker made us feel trusting of Patrick’s medical circumstance and was kind, warm and friendly with all of us through it all. He will be sadly missed by many who he treated at the Children’s. Our thoughts and loving energy go out to Dr Yunker’s family, in particular his children and his wife Rebecca.

Rebecca, Adam, and Eric, Sending you love and care as you navigate through this complicated time full of all sorts of hard and weird moments. Be gentle and kind with yourselves.

I will never forget how wonderful Dr Yunker was with our baby daughter (and us as brand new, ultra worried, first time parents). We only had one appointment with him but he was so memorable. His bedside manner was excellent and he was so kind and reassuring to us. My husband and I still quote what he told us “I never tell new parents not to worry, because I know that won’t happen. So instead I will say - worry about something else :)” - it brought a much needed levity with a great touch of reality.

As a fellow physician. I am so deeply saddened to hear of his passing and his struggle. Sending our deepest condolences - from our family to yours. I wanted to share how even our brief interaction with him was so touching for us - I have no doubt he touched the lives of so many and will be deeply missed. Sending love and strength.

I worked with Warren in the operating room while he was a resident in ENT at the Peter Lougheed Hospital in Calgary. He had a great sense of humor and days when working with him were always great. My deepest condolences to his family. He will be missed.

My deepest condolences to your family during this difficult time.

Dr Yunker was so marvelous dealing with my special needs son for many years. His dedication, patience and humor helped us for many years and he was able to complete three surgeries on my son. Without such talent my son would not hear today. The world was blessed to have him in our lives. My sincere condolences to his wife, sons, friends and colleagues.

Dr. Yunker was kind and compassionate. He made us feel heard and understood, and gave us the reassurance that we were well taken care of. It gave me great comfort to know Dr Yunker was in the operating room with my daughter. We so appreciate his service and dedication to helping others. He will be greatly missed.

Thank you Dr yunker for tour hard work and dedication. You were my son's doctor for 7+ years. You were and still will always be his and my favorite. Your light and heart have made so many peoples day. My son still talks about you. You will truly be missed. Thank you for everything.

To your family. Thank you for raising such an amazing person. I'm so sorry for your loss but know his memory will always live on.

I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Yunker almost every Thursday for years in the Operating Room. I looked forward to my time with Dr. Yunker at Alberta Children’s Hospital because he was a fantastic doctor.

Dr. Yunker was organized, well read, patient and family centred; however my favourite trail was his surgical consents. As a nurse it is a skill to learn to read these. But Dr. Yunker’s consents were completed meticulously neatly with the same kind of blue pen.

I will never forget it’s adenoid not adenoids thanks to Dr. Yunker’s attention to detail.

Near the end of my time working with Dr. Yunker I enjoyed our OR days together because I grew to appreciate his sense of humour, kindness, and love for his work. I will always think of him fondly.

I hope wherever Dr. Yunker is in our vase universe he is truly, “living the dream”. Be well friend.

We are thankful for his kindness, patience and compassion caring for our nervous little kiddo. We are grateful to have met him. He will be missed.

I want to send my DEEPEST condolences to the family and friends of Dr Yunker. We met Dr Yunker aprox 4 years ago when my son was diagnosed with a brainstem tumor. Dr Yunker was on of the 1st Dr's that helped my son along in his healing journey by performing surgery to give my son a tracheostomy to protect his upper airway. He followed my son for a short while in clinic also. Dr Yunker was such an amazing & kind individual. Extremely knowledgeable in his field and very passionate about his career. He will be greatly, greatly missed

Dr, Yunker was my doctor for 6 years, and he would always make me feel comfortable and would ease the appointments with his humor. He will always be one of my all time favorite doctors

I will always remember Dr. Yunker’s sense of humor! I worked with him at ACH, and one day went up to him as said “can I please ask you a question?” To which Dr. Yunker replied “you just did”

Prayers for his family during this unimaginable time.

A regular clinic day for warren and I :

8am- start our day off with a “living the dream” comment when I said good morning

805am- cracks a Diet Pepsi ( we could never agree on Coke Vs Pepsi)

805am throughout the remainder of our day sarcasm, humor, and countless facts about space or something intriguing he was reading/researching or in his words “nerding out on” that I may or may not have understood to be honest.

All while providing excellent patient care, treating patients and families as a whole and ensuring they were always fully informed and cared for.

Warren, you have left a huge hole in our close little group. You were a wonderful surgeon, co worker, friend and residency director! I watched you teach and encourage countless residents over the years, I have watched you change patients lives and I have watched you fight this battle over the last few years with a lot of bravery.

I’m grateful to have called you a co worker and friend.

To Rebecca, Adam and Eric I am so sorry for your loss! I can’t begin to imagine how hard not only this past week has been but also the past few years watching the decline and pain Warren experienced.

We are all thinking of you.

My deepest sympathies to the Yunker Family. He was a valued friend and kind soul from medical school who will be missed in all aspects of his life.

Warren will be missed. We have many fond memories of him, just visiting, enjoying a glass of wine and good food together, as well as some travels with all of you. Our thoughts and love are with you, Adam and Eric. We can’t even imagine your pain and grief, but we are here for you during this very difficult time.

Love,

Nat, Todd and Jacqueline.

We love the Yunker-Sparkes family and truly miss Warren. We will hold his memory in our hearts. We are aching for you all. Love, the Bentleys

Healing prayers from our family to the Yunker family. Warren was a special and thoughtful person. He was a joy to work with and an exceptional physician. May he rest in peace.