Dr. Maurice (Maury) O’Neil, the first full-time emergency department physician at Collingwood General & Marine Hospital and recipient of the Order of Collingwood, died on Saturday at his cottage in Sand Lake after a long battle with cancer. He was 68.
O’Neil was born in the Windsor area and grew up in Essex County. He met his future wife Suzanne at the University of Guelph in 1972. After that, he went to medical school at McMaster University, moving on to start his career there working at the three major Hamilton hospitals.
In 1989 he was recruited to the emergency department at Collingwood General & Marine Hospital due to his background in orthopaedics. He stayed for 20 years, and was the first full-time emergency physician in Collingwood.
“They wanted him to fix broken bones coming off the ski hill,” says his daughter, Kelly O’Neil, when reached this week for an interview.
O’Neil leaves behind his wife, his three daughters Shannon, Kelly and Danielle, and three grandchildren.
Kelly had fond memories of re-building the family cottage on Sand Lake from a young age, and says that O’Neil would probably have considered it to be his favourite place in the world.
“He did a lot of it himself,” she says. “Family was a big priority, but also connecting to the outdoors.”
“The day that we bought our cottage, it was a tiny little shack. We called it Shack O’Neil,” says Kelly. “The first day we bought it, we walked in and there was like a twig holding the door together, dead mice in the sink, animals in the couch...”
“That didn’t really turn him off. He encouraged us (the three girls), he basically raised us like his sons,” laughs Kelly. “He taught us how to landscape and build the cottage and fix it up with him. For a number of years we didn’t have indoor plumbing.”
“He didn’t care about that stuff. What he did care about, was the value of hard work,” says Kelly. “I would say his best memories were probably at that cottage.”
Kelly describes her father as being very down to earth and very connected within the community. He had a major passion for basketball, acting as chairman of the Collingwood Trailblazers for a number of years in the 1990s.
Highlights of his community work include being a member of the Ontario Medical Association committee, starting the Simcoe County Eating Disorder Association and being awarded the Order of Collingwood for his volunteer work in 2013.
“He was a big community supporter, especially behind athletics,” says Kelly.
Kelly says her dad battled his cancer diagnosis for 12 years before eventually succumbing to the disease.
“He was unique. He was very eccentric and charismatic. He had a Type-A personality and he channelled all that energy into helping his patients and the community,” she says.
When looking back on her father’s life, Kelly believes he left a legacy of support and determination.
“His legacy would be that you surround yourself with good people and you support your community,” she says. “Determination is one of the best qualities he would find in a person. Regardless of your status, he would see you on that level... to treat everyone with the respect they deserve.”
Visitation will take place at Fawcett Funeral Home- Collingwood Chapel on Sept. 6 from 6 to 9 p.m. O’Neil’s celebration of life will be on Sept. 7 at the Blue Mountain Inn – Weider Room at 1 p.m. Donations to RVH Oncology, or other cancer charities of O’Neil’s choice would be appreciated.
