BARRHEAD - The community never got to say a proper goodbye to long-time doctor and Barrhead resident Marvin Wray.
However, Rita Lyster, a pharmacist by trade, hopes to change that with a community Roast of Dr. Wray.
The event, which will be held at the Barrhead Seniors' Drop-in Centre on Saturday, Feb. 11, is also a fundraiser for the effort to name Barrhead all-wheel park in his honour. Tickets are $50 each or $400 for a table of eight. Doors open at 6 p.m. with dinner service starting at 6:30 p.m.
Dr. Marvin Brent Wray passed away in November 2019 from pancreatic cancer. He was 70.
At the time, as per his wishes, no funeral was held.
"Funerals are not for the deceased. They are for the family, friends and, in the case of special individuals that touched several lives, the community," Lyster said. "Dr. Wray was one of those types of people. For 41 years, he dedicated his life as an old-style country doctor."
Wray came to Barrhead in 1978 as a young doctor graduating from the University of Alberta's medical school program.
"He specialized in obstetrics. Over the years, he must have delivered hundreds of babies," Lyster said, adding that Wray delivered two of her three children. "If it were not for him and his partner Bonnie (a registered nurse) who would often work with him in tandem, countless mothers would have been forced to go outside the community to deliver."
She added not many doctors in Barrhead that were as dedicated as Wray, as the hospital was his second home.
"It was a rare day when Dr. Wray did not check in at the hospital to see if they did not need him," Lyster said.
She added that if Wray had still been practicing in the spring to fall of 2022, Alberta Health Services (AHS) would not have had to temporarily close the Barrhead Healthcare Centre's emergency room on multiple occasions due to the lack of an available doctor.
"He would have filled the spot himself," Lyster said.
She added that Wray was a regular with the A & W coffee klatch, and she would often receive prescriptions from him on a napkin.
Wray also served as Barrhead's medical director for 10 years, a position Lyster described as a liaison between AHS and the local medical community.
As medical director, she added, he was instrumental in helping the community recruit several doctors, including Dr. Adel Abdulhafid, Dr. Ramy Gurges, Dr. Majid Shibil, and Dr. Fathi Hassan, among others.
Honouring his legacy is also the reason why Lyster (after talking it over with Bonnie) decided to spearhead the fundraising campaign to name the all-wheel park after Wray.
"Given his affinity for children and babies, we couldn't think of a more fitting honour," she said.
When Wray was not at his clinic, the A & W, or delivering babies, Lyster said he could be found at the Barrhead Agrena watching the kids play hockey or volunteering as a timer in the penalty box.
"He would console the kids in the penalty box and give them candy," Lyster said.
As part of the evening, there will be a live and silent auction, a dessert auction and, of course, several speakers honouring Wray with light-hearted, humorous stories and anecdotes.
"There are some great auction items, with many of the local businesses going above and beyond," she said, adding many individuals have also donated unique items.
For instance, Lyster and her husband Steve are offering a spin on their traditional wine and dine packages, "Sushi for Six, Japanese Pub Food."
And although Lyster realizes that raising $100,000 is ambitious, she said it is more than doable.
"Especially if you break it down. It means 100 individuals or groups of people are responsible for $1,000," she said.
More information is available through the Town of Barrhead website (www.barrhead.ca) under the Living tab or via the Dr. M. Wray All-Wheel Park Naming Drive Facebook page.
