Dr. Cecil E. Kinley Jr. 'Ed'

Dr. Cecil Edwin (Ed) Kinley Jr, ONS, MD, MSc, FRCS, FACS, died peacefully at home with his family on January 19, 2015, at the age of 83. Born in Halifax, he was the oldest son of Beatrice (Hummer) and Dr. Cecil E Kinley. He attended LeMarchant, Cornwallis, and QEH and spent his summers sailing his Bluenose on the Northwest Arm. Ed was a cardiovascular surgeon, community volunteer, and former MLA in addition to his role as a husband, father, grandfather, and brother. He did his undergraduate and Medical degrees at Dalhousie, graduating in the class of ‘56. He served in the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve, retiring as a Surgeon Lieutenant. During a residency at the Cleveland Clinic, he met and married the love of his life, Sara Jane Hawk, a physiotherapist and member of his bowling team. He spent two years at the Winnipeg General and St Boniface, before moving to Birmingham, England, on the McLaughlan Scholarship for two further years of study. He and Sara returned with four young children to Halifax in 1964, where he helped to establish the Cardiovascular Surgery Program at the IWK Children’s Hospital and adult CV surgery at the VGH. Much to the chagrin of the other doctors, he brought back to Nova Scotia the practice of 6:30 am “rounds” before the morning surgeries. He performed the first coronary bypass operation and first adult open heart surgery when both of these procedures were still in their infancy. He and his team set up the first cardiovascular ICU, spearheading the development of a CV surgery residency training program as well as training programs for ICU nurses and respiratory therapists. He performed extensive research and participated in innovative procedures to refine surgical techniques and shared his work in over 80 research papers , many of which he co-authored with Dr. Alan Marble. With the help of his producer and brother-in-law, Kingsley Brown, he implanted the first Canadian-made pacemaker live on CBC television, creating controversy among the medical establishment. He was a natural athlete and in addition to running track, was captain of the QEH football and basketball teams. He went on to play varsity football and junior varsity basketball at Dalhousie. When his children were growing up he became involved in their activities and was the first president of Soccer Nova Scotia and a President of both Sport Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Sailing Association.

His service on the Board of the Nova Scotia Medical Society increased his awareness of community health needs. This expanded awareness fueled his passion for community health and resulted in the establishment of the Teen Health Centre at St Pat’s High School, a model which has been followed province-wide. He served on the Board of the Capital District Health Authority and acted as both Vice President and Chair during his 10-year term. In his later years he advocated for retired doctors as a Board member and President of the Seniors Section of Doctors Nova Scotia. A lifelong member of the Liberal Party, he became more involved in politics as his medical career was winding down. He was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as the member for Halifax Citadel in 1997. He was later elected President of the NS Liberal Party. He had a deep love for his home province and was honoured to receive the Order of Nova Scotia in 2013. His children fondly remember his frequent “history lessons” during family car trips and more recently both they and his 10 grandchildren have been introduced to discussions of the “social determinants of health”. He was happiest spending times were with his family, whether sailing on Chebucto or sitting on the dock together and of course, cutting grass on his tractor at Herman’s Island. He was predeceased by his parents, his brother, Richard and his son, Andrew. He is survived by his wife, Sara Jane (Hawk); daughter ,Karen Lynn Kinley (Ian Creaser); son, Dr. C Edwin Kinley III (Wendy) and daughter, Dr. Jacqueline Lee Kinley (Tony Case) and grandchildren, Caitlin, Alison, Erin, and Jack Creaser, Samantha, Maddie, Sophie and Ted Kinley, and Alexander (AJ) and Cassandra (KC) Case; sister, Evelyn Brown and sister-in-law, Vera Kinley.The family would like to give special thanks to Dr. Craig St Peters, Dr. John Sullivan, and the CV floor nurses and to the doctors, nurses, and staff at the CV Operating Room and CVICU where dad so enjoyed working, teaching, and mentoring others for so many years. Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 22, from 2-4 & 7-9 pm in J.A. Snow Funeral Home, 339 Lacewood Drive, 902-455-0531. Funeral Service will be held at St. David’s Presbyterian Church on Friday, January 23 at 2:00 pm. Donations may be made to the C E Kinley Lectureship Fund at Dalhousie University, Office of External Relations, MacDonald Building, P.O. Box 15000, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, or to the charity of your choice. Family flowers only.