Obituary of Dr. Alfred Pearce Louisy

April 17, 1930 – Castries, Saint Lucia

November 19, 2024 – Calgary, Alberta

Dr. Pearce Louisy of Calgary, AB, passed away on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at the age of 94 years. He was an important member of his beloved veterinary profession.

Pearce was born on the island of Saint Lucia in the West Indies where he received his primary and secondary education. He came to Canada in 1951 to attend the Ontario Veterinary College. One of his brothers, the late Dr. Graham Louisy (OVC 1951) also attended this college. After graduation in 1956, Pearce accepted a position as a veterinary officer in southern Trinidad, West Indies, which is where he met and married his lovely and gracious wife, Helen.

They immigrated to Calgary, AB, in 1957 and worked in a mixed animal practice with the late Dr. Morris Hanson. The hazardous winter driving conditions on isolated roads convinced him to convert to small animal practice and in 1959, Morris and Pearce opened the MacLeod Trail Animal Hospital, which was devoted to small animal practice where at that time, there were only four animal hospitals in the city. With that move, Pearce could devote more time to his family when his son Robert was born in 1957, and son Andrew in 1959.

In 1961, Pearce struck out and opened the 17th Avenue Animal Hospital. In 1966, he constructed a new state-of-the-art hospital under the same name, 17th Avenue Animal Hospital. This practice grew to include a referral specialty in ophthalmology, operated by his partner Dr. Richard Christmas, and recognized specialty work in internal medicine with his partner Dr. Jack Wilson.

Pearce was recognized by his veterinary colleagues as a talented general and orthopedic surgeon. Many young people have been influenced by Pearce, including his niece Nicola who graduated from OVC in 1992, and his granddaughter Danielle Rowe who graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in 2009. She owns and operates the Nolan Hill Veterinary Hospital in Calgary.

Pearce was passionate about giving back to the veterinary profession and his community outside of his work. He was instrumental in the formation of the Calgary Academy of Veterinary Medicine, which serves to promote continuing education for the profession in Calgary and foster collegiality among the local clinicians. He also conducted evening classes at the University of Calgary for breeders, dog handlers, and interested public on canine and feline health care, and began an open-line radio show on small animal health care for the local CBC radio station.

He was elected as a member of the Council of the Alberta Veterinary Medical Association (ABVMA) in 1971 and helped to pioneer the establishment of practice standards in the province. He was also a member of the team that inspected small animal practices in Winnipeg, MB, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). In 1973, Pearce was appointed as ABVMA representative to the Council of the CVMA. The City of Calgary expressed concern about cruelty caused by the casualness and sometimes neglect of people owning pets, which created extra costs for the taxpayer in dealing with stray animals. Pearce helped to coordinate a successful public awareness campaign funded by the City of Calgary and jointly sponsored by the ABVMA and the Humane Society, with the participation of the local media.

In 1976, Dr. Louisy was elected President of the CVMA and during his term of office, he helped establish the Pet Food Certification Program. In 1981, he was a member of the joint CVMA and American Veterinary Medical Association team that was tasked with the inspection and certification of the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine for accreditation by both associations. Pearce retired from private practice in 1991 but two years later, he was selected by the CVMA to manage its joint cooperative project with the Indonesian Veterinary Association (IVA), funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. His primary function was to assist in reorganizing and revitalizing the IVA and to initiate a professional development program. Pearce was instrumental in setting up the first private small animal hospital in Indonesia. He trained the veterinary staff in the hospital and organized continuing education seminars and wet labs for veterinarians throughout the country over the four years that the project lasted.

Pearce has received several awards in his career, including the Gaines Small Animal Practitioner of the Year Award from the CVMA, the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Calgary SPCA, and the Adhikarya Satwa Award from the IVA and veterinary practices in Indonesia. He was also awarded an Honorary Life Membership with the IVA, Life Membership with the CVMA, and received the Meritorious Service Award from the ABVMA.

Outside of his profession, Pearce had a busy and varied service within his community. He was a Cub leader, charter member of the Chinook chapter of the Lions Club, served on the Calgary Cancer Board, and Parents Advisory Committee of the St. Mary’s School. Following the disastrous hurricane that struck Saint Lucia in 1980, Pearce served as co-chairman of the committee to help victims by raising funds and collecting food and clothing from Calgary and the province. He has been active in Caribbean cultural activities, acting as an emcee and participating in costume parades on festival days. Pearce was a member of the local cricket team that won several provincial championships and represented Canada in an International Cricket Tournament. He was a keen competitor in tennis and won the Western Canada Doubles Championship at a Senior Masters Tournament for two consecutive years.

Pearce acknowledged that his busy career was driven by a deep desire to repay the country that gave him an opportunity to get a university education and the profession that allowed him the means to achieve his life goals. He was proud to have served.

Pearce is survived by his children, Robert and Andrew, and was predeceased by his daughter Irene Mauricette. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Danielle, Nicolette, Courtney, Jordan, Ethan, Shayne, and Derek. He leaves behind seven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews in Canada and throughout the world.

Funeral Services will be held at McInnis & Holloway (Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB) on Saturday, December 14, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. Reception to follow in the Hospitality Centre at the Funeral Home.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Pearce’s family here.

In living memory of Dr. Pearce Alfred Louisy, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.