Dr. H.H. Allen M.D., F.R.C.S.C., O Ont.

Dr. H.H. Allen

M.D., F.R.C.S.C., O Ont.

It is with deep sadness that the Allen family mourns the peaceful passing of Harry Hugh Allen in his 102^nd year at home with his family on April 15, 2025. He leaves children Larry (Patty) and grandchildren Tricia, Hugh and Richie; Jim, deceased January 17, 2004 (Jennifer) and grandchildren Baillie, Hillie and Abby; Joanne (Gren Schoch); Kathy and grandchildren Jay and Robyn; and Susan (Roy Perovich). He is also survived by five great-grandchildren.

Hugh was born on a farm in Mitchell’s Bay, Ontario, on July 22, 1923, to his parents, James Hilliard and Lorene Mildred (Tew). He also had an older sister, Betty Mae.  He worked tirelessly on the farm and in the fields with his father, whom he credited with instilling in him the value of hard work. Hugh aspired to go to university and become a physician. Times were tough, but the family managed to pull together enough for the first year’s tuition to send him to Western University. Here, Hugh’s dreams began to take shape. He decided to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology (OB/Gyn). It was during his internship in Hamilton that he met the love of his life, Patricia (Pat) Furlong (December 23, 1925 – September 8, 2015). They got married on October 6, 1949. Hugh often spoke with deep gratitude about Pat, who always kept things as steady as possible in a household with five active children.

In his quest for excellence, Pat and Hugh moved with their growing family to Europe for a few years, where he learned new ideas and procedures and furthered his expertise in the OB/Gyn specialty.  They moved back to Canada and settled in London, Ontario, where he established his practice and began his illustrious career. In the days before OHIP, starting a practice was challenging. Hugh worked many hours to make ends meet, but he would never send a bill to a cancer patient.

Early in his career, Hugh delivered countless babies. As his practice evolved, he specialized in gynecological cancers and went on to become a world-renowned surgeon in his field. He was highly respected by the medical community, who regularly sought his advice and wise counsel in patient care. Hugh took great joy in mentoring residents, eagerly sharing his knowledge, guiding them through complex problems and learning from them in return. He genuinely enjoyed getting to know each of them as individuals. He greatly valued and felt a sense of kinship with the many outstanding nurses with whom he worked. With his patients, he had a remarkable ability to make each one feel as though they were his only priority. He always gave them his full attention and care. As a result, Hugh earned deep respect and admiration. It was almost inevitable that whenever we were out with him, a grateful patient or colleague would approach him to say hello and thank him for the impact he had on their life.

During his career, Hugh travelled to and lectured in 43 different countries. In the later part of his career, he was part of a team that endeavored to set up a cancer clinic in Yemen.  He made many missions there to teach and perform surgery. Hugh was disappointed that the mission concluded in 2008 due to safety concerns. Hugh was awarded many prestigious honours for his clinical teaching and acumen, culminating with The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 and The Order of Ontario in 2015.

While Hugh deeply loved his medical profession, he was fortunate to reconnect with his rural roots by purchasing farmland. As the saying goes, you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy. Despite his demanding career, he always made time to visit the farm and participate in farm chores, from helping with calving to planting and harvesting crops. Until the very end of his life, he followed crop prices and made decisions about the farm. His farm buddies were very special to him.

Hugh had excelled in sports in his youth and carried this love into adulthood. He would always try to find time to sneak away from work to catch a glimpse of his children’s sporting events. When his grandchildren came along, he loved watching them participate and compete. He was a big fan of the London Knights and attended all their games until a few months ago. He continued to look forward to watching the Knights games on TV, often with his caregivers.

Hugh worked demanding hours throughout his career, yet always made time to carve out meaningful moments with his children. This was often while they were working at his medical office or on the farm, where they saw his passions firsthand and came to understand what truly motivated him. Later in life, Hugh had more time to enjoy his grandchildren. He loved discussing their studies, careers, life plans, and achievements. He never missed a chance to share his wisdom and offer thoughtful advice for living a good and fulfilling life.

We couldn’t be more proud and grateful to have had our amazing patriarch for so long in our lives.  He will live forever in our hearts.

The family can’t thank Hugh’s caregivers enough for their wonderful care: Ruth, who became a valued friend and has been with the family for many years, and Martha, Jennifer, and Lisa, who more recently joined Ruth. We are also greatly indebted to Dr. Patrick Teefy and Dr. Kirk Hamilton and his palliative team.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Allen-Carey Scholarship in Obstetrics and Gynecology c/o London Health Sciences Foundation, or a charity of your choice.

We hope people from all areas of Hugh’s life will be able to join us for a Celebration of Life on Friday May 2, 2025, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m., with words of remembrance at 4:00 p.m. at the London Hunt & Country Club, 1431 Oxford Street West, London. For online condolences visit www.westviewfuneralchapel.com.