Obituary of Neil Stimpson

July 7, 1937 – Wallsend, England

January 2, 2025 – Calgary, Alberta

Neil Stimpson was born in Wallsend, England on July 7, 1937, to Jane Elizabeth and William Soulsby Stimpson. He passed away at the age of 87 years in Calgary, AB, on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

In his early childhood, Neil had to deal with regular bombing by the Nazis because he lived a few miles from the great shipbuilders of the Tyne River. Emerging unscathed, he went to grammar school, served as an altar boy, and joined the choir. After he finished school, he attended Durham University (Newcastle) earning a B.Sc. and his medical degree. He later became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Neil met Norma Osborne, a nurse, at a party and became engaged soon afterwards. They were married at Stannington, Northumberland on July 20, 1963. After working in England, Scotland, and Wales for four years, and with the birth of their two children, they moved to Kamsack, SK, in March of 1971. Neil became a member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan and started work on April 1, 1971.

Neil worked as a family doctor and general surgeon in Kamsack until his retirement in 1997. In addition to long days working, Neil enjoyed fishing at Madge Lake, and cross-country skiing on the golf course (the only good use for a golf course, in his opinion). He took his family for many camping trips across Canada and the US as well as visiting other countries. His favourite trips that were not in a tent were to England to visit family.

After his retirement, he moved with his wife to Canmore, AB, where he loved hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing in the Rocky Mountains for over 20 years. Neil loved the freedom of wandering the trails of the Rocky Mountains with his friends in the Canmore Meanderthals and volunteered with Trailminders of the Bow Valley, maintaining the trails and nature he loved. In town, he volunteered at the Canmore Library and joined his wife in taking dance lessons to add to the wild Kamsack polka he had mastered years earlier.

In his later years, Neil developed Alzheimer's Disease, and his family and friends lost the brilliant and hard-working man they had known and loved. Even as his illness advanced, he remained a warm and funny member of the family.

Neil is survived by Norma, his loving wife of 62 years, his son Geoffrey, his daughter Pamela, and their families.

A Celebration of Neil’s Life will be held at McInnis & Holloway (Crowfoot, 82 Crowfoot Circle NW, Calgary, AB), on Thursday, January 9, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. Reception to follow in the Hospitality Centre at the Funeral Home.

If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to The Alzheimer Society of Canada, 20 Eglinton Avenue West, 16th Floor, Toronto ON M4R 1K8. Tel: 416-967-5900, https://alzheimer.ca/en 

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

In living memory of Neil Stimpson, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Crowfoot, 82 Crowfoot Circle NW, Calgary, AB T3G 2T3, Telephone: 403-241-0044.