Tribute

Cam Hobson left us on his last journey on December 8, 2018. He died peacefully at home with his wife Marie, children Bruce (Marie), Gail (Steve) Beerman and Al (Tania) and his sister, Mary Henry, all by his side. He had been living with multiple myeloma for the last five years and, as usual, was beating predictions when his time came to an end.

Cam lived his life for his adventures, from his early days growing up in Grenfell, Saskatchewan through hitchhiking to pick cherries in the Okanagan in his teens, to joining the Naval cadet reserves at 17. He was independent and always a leader, playing hockey for the University of Manitoba as an undergraduate then entering Medical School and serving in the Naval Reserve as a medical officer, travelling to Hawaii, Halifax and through the Panama Canal. As a medical intern in Vancouver, he jumped at the chance to get a free flight up to Powell River and decided that was where he wanted to live. After marrying Marie in 1954, they made their home in Powell River, with Cam working as a general practitioner. Coastal living suited Cam, with lots of opportunity for boating, hunting and fishing. Always looking for something new, he decided to upgrade his surgical skills by starting a surgical residency in Hawaii, bringing along his family for their first of many trips. He and his family went back to Hawaii, so he could finish his Surgical training. He then made the easy decision to return to Powell River to begin his new career as a General Surgeon for the next twenty-four years before switching to his next career as a hotelier, running the Beach Gardens Resort, before finally retiring.

He took his family boating, hunting and adventuring up and down the coast, seeking out hidden anchorages, travelling across Canada camping in clearings and dead-end roads, and exploring the world, volunteering as a surgeon in Samoa, Belize and Chuuk, Micronesia. He hunted wild-boar in Alsace, France, moose and elk in Northern BC, explored Brazil and China, and went on a photo-shoot safari in Africa. 

Life to Cam was always about learning and being curious about what was over the next ridge, past the next point, around the next curve in the road or after the next plane ride. He loved all places equally and treasured his friends fiercely.

He will be greatly missed by his family, including eight grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, his nieces, and nephew, but we know that he was ready for this last great adventure, and we are at peace. No funeral or service by request. Donations to the Hospital Foundation in lieu of flowers.