The passing of a proverbial pillar of Sundre's medical community has left behind a large pair of shoes to fill.
Dr. Hal Irvine, a well-respected and adored family physician who dedicated both his personal and professional life to Sundre, died recently at the age of 64 following a prolonged struggle with cancer.
His contributions to the community over the decades were "immeasurable," said Gerald Ingeveld, whose family visited the doctor in times of need throughout a span of 33 years.
"We've lived in the community long enough that we remember when he arrived (in 1982). He looked after us for all of those years."
During that time, Irvine solidified his reputation as a committed doctor, establishing along the way a number of programs including student residencies, he said.
"The rest of the doctors are proudly carrying that legacy on today."
The physician set the bar so high that any other doctor in Sundre ó present or future ó will have his or her work cut out for them to match Irvine's many contributions to the community, he said.
"What's that saying about standing on the shoulders of a giant?" he said, adding Irvine leaves behind big shoes to fill and that his colleagues would no doubt agree.
"It takes a whole team to fill the shoes he left, and he helped create that team."
When asked what Ingeveld remembered most about Irvine, he said "his smile and his enthusiasm. He was always ready to help. You were always really confident around Hal. There was never a look of panic in his eyes."
His trail-blazing efforts in providing outstanding rural medicine even led to an award being created in his name: the Dr. Hal Irvine Community Focus Award, which was won by another well-known Sundre physician, Michelle Warren, who considered Irvine an exemplary mentor.
"He was always sort of calm in the face of adversity," she said, describing Irvine as a "gentle" individual.
"I remember working cases in the emergency room with him and commenting that he was always so calm."
Irvine would respond by telling her he was like a duck ó calm and graceful on the surface, but paddling like mad under the water.
"He always gave of himself to the community over and above anything else. He was always there at the hospital."
As a friend or mentor, Irvine always made himself available to talk, she said.
"He was just a very giving man, and dedicated to rural medicine as well as wanting to show that care given in rural areas could exceed that of urban centres."
But there was more to Irvine than his medical track record ó he and his wife Dianne also enjoyed being active in the community and the couple had fun playing different roles as members of the Peak Theatre Players group. Irvine was also a dedicated father who was proud to raise his children in Sundre.
"My kids were in school with Hal's kids," said Ingeveld. "He raised a really good family. He was not just a good doctor, but a good family man as well."
Irvine's memory will live on not only in the hearts of those who knew him personally, but also in his outstanding legacy of raising the bar in rural medicine.
"He's going to be missed," said Warren, extending her "heartfelt condolences to his family."
A remembrance service was held on Thursday, Feb. 23 at the Sundre Community Centre. The family has invited anyone who would like to make a contribution in Irvine's memory to donate to the Sundre Palliative Care Association, the Sundre and District Allied Arts Society or the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.
