Obituary
Mullens – James Edward “Ted”
MD; MS; FRCSC
Feb. 1926 – June 2022
Dr. Ted Mullens died peacefully with family at his side on June 8, 2022, in Owen Sound ON. Predeceased by his beloved wife Elizabeth (Middleton) Mullens, after 71 years of marriage, in November 2021, he is survived by four daughters Claire (Steve Baker), Jean (Andy Coburn), Anne (Keith Baldrey), and Mary (Tim McGee), and 10 grandchildren: Nathan Kanter (Maylin), Meredith Baker (Stuart Campbell), Erik Baker; Hilary Coburn (Arthur Murgatroyd), Adrienne Coburn (Daniel La Cute), Heather Coburn (Alex Crockett); Charlotte McGee (Connor Munro), Fraser McGee; Kate Baldrey, and Madeline Baldrey (Shaun Smith). He was recently blessed with three great-grandchildren Lyle Campbell, Beckett La Cute, and Jasper Coburn, with more on the way.
Ted was born in Hamilton, the last of 10 children of Mary (O’Brien) and William Mullens. His father died of TB two weeks after his birth. His heroic mother kept her sanity and provided love through a cascade of devastating calamities, including the death of five of her children from now vaccine-preventable illnesses. During his mother’s four-year stay in a sanatorium for TB when Ted was a child, he was fostered by a generous aunt and uncle, Anne and Gerald Mullens. His older siblings, Mary, Helen, Eileen, and Reg, inspired him with their humor, support, and resilience. All his siblings predeceased him by many years.
Meeting Elizabeth in 1948 at the University of Western Ontario, and marrying her in 1950, changed his life. ‘Liz’ became his constant source of stability, strength, wisdom, and love. They shared values, goals, adventures, and laughter for 7 decades.
Ted earned his medical degree from Western in 1949; postgraduate training occurred at the Montreal General Hospital, UWO Department of Anatomy, and the Gallie Course (surgical) at the University of Toronto. In 1955 he received the Roscoe Reid Graham Travelling Fellowship for further surgical training in Britain. He returned to Toronto to a surgical practice at the Wellesley Hospital and to teach at U of T. He moved to McMaster University in 1972 as a professor with his surgical practice at the McMaster University Medical Center and Henderson Hospital. In 1977 he and Liz moved to Ottawa where he became Chief of the Division of General Surgery at The Ottawa Civic Hospital and University of Ottawa.
With Liz by his side and contributing, during sabbaticals he provided medical services to the Grenfell Mission (St. Anthony’s NF), Care Medico (Indonesia, Malaysia), and in Honduras. After a sabbatical in Japan in 1968, he was the first physician to introduce fiberoptic endoscopy to Canadian surgeons, pioneering this important technology that removed the need for exploratory abdominal surgery.
In 1985 he retired from surgery and joined the Canadian Medical Protective Association as a medical expert. He retired from the CMPA in 1992. In 2001 he and Liz moved from Toronto to Owen Sound to be closer to family, Lake Huron in summer, and skiing in winter.
His honors and awards include Service Plaque Care Medico International, Queen’s Jubilee Silver Medal, Honorary Fellow of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, and Honorary Member of the Canadian Association of General Surgeons.
Ted was a voracious reader, who delighted in learning and literature. He had a quick wry sense of humor, a love of music, sailing, and the outdoors, and a concern for social justice and the environment. He left the world a better place.
Ted wrote: “It is as natural to die as it is to be born, and it should be no surprise that death comes in one’s ninth decade. I’ve had a lucky life, ending better than it began. Elizabeth and I were especially fortunate to have four wonderful daughters, who are happily married and who have healthy bright children of their own. My grandchildren and now great-grandchildren have been a source of great joy. Add to this many good friends and a satisfying and successful career in a profession I loved, there is cause for celebration, not sorrow.”
A combined memorial for Ted and Liz is planned for late summer. Memorial donations to Chapman House Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce (greybrucehospice.com) or The Bruce Trail Conservancy (support.brucetrail.org) are greatly appreciated. Online condolences can be received at woodfuneralhome.ca.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Ted February 17 1926
June 8 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Owen Sound, Province: Ontario
death notice Ted February 17 1926
June 8 2022
mortuary notice Ted February 17 1926
June 8 2022
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