Pediatrician combined empathy, adventure
Dr. Marcia Smith, formerly of Waterloo Born: Aug. 24, 1932, in St. Jacobs Died: Jan. 22, 2022, of age-related illness
Colin Smith didn’t realize his sister, Marcia Smith, had an ulterior motive when she offered to join his volunteer group bound for Haiti in 1983.
The volunteers were from a missionary church in Elmira and their role would be to build a new hospital. Colin, who has diabetes, would be far from any medical care if he needed help and Marcia worried.
“She had a big heart,” he said. “I had no idea she’d been watching over me.”
Marcia wanted to ensure her brother received the best care if needed.
But while in Haiti, Marcia, a pediatrician, also went into full doctor mode, delivering babies, including several sets of twins and even Siamese twins.
Marcia consistently worked quietly in the background, always considering what the patient needed. She was not interested in making money, said her longtime partner, Marie Chamberlain.
Sister Jeanette Hall recalls when Marcia had a practice in Peterborough, Ont., in the early 1970s and was baffled by a small boy’s stomach pains. She sat with the lad in hospital for hours, slowly drawing him into her orb of comfort and safety. He finally confessed that he’d swallowed a bottle cap, something that would not have shown up on X-rays. That confession saved him from invasive exploratory surgery.
“I was in awe of this woman,” said Jeanette. “She hadn’t taken time to eat or sleep, she was so concerned for him.”
Though Marcia had an exemplary career in medicine spanning decades, her early start was rocky. She was born Aug. 24, 1932, in St. Jacobs, the eldest of six children. Her mother Vera Smith was a stay-athome mom and her dad Marvin owned a shoe factory, later becoming the town’s postmaster.
Marcia had rheumatic fever as a child and developed a leaking heart valve which kept her in bed for extended periods. Sister Grace Haak recalls how all the siblings would come home from school and head outdoors to play. Marcia headed indoors, to her bed and her piles of books.
“We lived beside the library and I think she read every book,” said Grace. “She was very resilient.”
Despite the constraints of years of partial confinement, Marcia excelled in piano and even won a provincial gold medal. Jeanette said her sister could have chosen to be a concert pianist, but “she was a perfectionist” and could only work on one exceptional skill at a time.
Marcia graduated top of the class at Elmira District Secondary School.
Colin recalls her extraordinary ability to memorize everything she read. It would be a valuable skill when she entered Western University’s School of Medicine, where she was one of only four women accepted into the male-dominated class of 60 students.
She never really talked about the challenges, said her family.
“I think she only competed against herself,” explained Marie. “She was there to learn. She wanted
to get an education and help people.”
After graduating in 1957, Marcia first worked at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto before completing pediatric training, after which she joined a practice in Peterborough. Next, she went to England on a prestigious fellowship, studying with renown researchers. On her return from England Marcia worked for a time in Saskatoon, developing blood pressure cuffs for infants. By the early 1970s, her adventurous spirit took her into Canada’s Far North, where she met Marie.
Marcia was working for the federal government as a pediatric consultant, travelling across the top of Canada assessing what health resources were available for Inuit and First Nation children, Marie said in a memorial tribute.
“When I met her in Iqaluit, she was working with the Inuit people,” recalled the British-born Marie. “I was a midwife and had only been in Canada two years.”
After completing her northern research, Marcia moved to Newfoundland where she served families in distress. The job often required long boat rides to remote
islands and even a couple of dogsledding adventures. When it came to serving patients, nothing was too much for Marcia.
“She was empathetic and had an incredible amount of patience,” Marie added.
After a decade in Newfoundland, the pair decided to move to Ottawa where Marcia worked part-time in general practice before retiring in her late 60s. They moved to Waterloo to be closer to Marcia’s parents. Back in her home community, Marcia volunteered for a number of organizations.
For the past six years, Marcia and Marie lived in British Columbia, having been charmed by the life of retirees in the west. They had planned a return to Waterloo but it never happened. Marcia died Jan. 22, 2022.
Marie remembers Marcia as uncomplaining, never critical of anyone.
“I have never encountered anyone so positive and supportive of others, even when they were not at their best.”