12212 Bruce Mohr - April 20, 1957 to May 28, 2023

In the lead up to the Class of 1979 joining the Old Brigade in September 2024, a concerted effort was made to reconnect with classmates we had lost touch with over time. During that process, sadly Andy Main discovered that Bruce had passed away in late May, 2023. Back in 1976, Bruce had decided to leave RMC after his first year there, but even in that short time, he had left an indelible impression on his recruit mates from 7 Wolfe Squadron and everyone else who knew him. He was an accomplished musician; a superb athlete; a wonderful badminton player on an RMC team which won both OUAA singles and doubles titles; and a very kind, lovable and caring person whom everyone liked. Reading the wonderful comments on his Tribute Wall make it clear that he carried this on in to the next phase of his life. To be honest, no one who knew him was surprised at how successful and generous he had been in his subsequent medical career as an emergency room doctor, their only regret being that we could could not have reconnected with him again earlier.

Photos and notes from Bruce’s time at RMC are included below, followed by the UBC Faculty of Medicine’s Remembering Dr Bruce Mohr post and Bruce’s obituary, along with photos we had found online. At the end of the page are some tributes from members of the Class of 1979 who knew him.

RMC - 1975/76 and Basic Officer Training Course (BOTC) from the summer of 1976:

From the UBC Faculty of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine:

Remembering Dr. Bruce Mohr

It is with heavy hearts that we acknowledge the passing of Dr. Bruce Mohr after a long and courageous battle with depression. He was a dedicated and exceptional emergency physician, educator, mentor and healthcare leader, as well as a beloved family man and friend.

Dr. Mohr was a passionate teacher in his role as Clinical Assistant Professor with the UBC Department of Emergency Medicine. He was also an accomplished emergency physician at Whistler Health Care Centre, where he recently served as Medical Director during the pandemic and had previously served as Head of the Emergency Department.

Born in St. Boniface, Manitoba and raised in Brighton, Ontario, Dr. Mohr had a full life, rich in experiences, friends and family. He graduated from medical school at the University of Ottawa, and went on to complete his emergency medicine residency training at the University of Calgary.

Dr. Mohr joined the UBC Department of Emergency Medicine as a clinical faculty member in December 2004. In addition to teaching through UBC, he regularly presented at local, provincial and national conferences in the specialty area of acute orthopedic injuries. He was also a valued member of the CASTED team, where he taught over 25 courses. He was selected to be a member of this team based on his teaching and clinical excellence.

An obituary for Dr. Mohr, as well as a tribute wall, can be found here.

In honour of Dr. Mohr’s passion for emergency medicine, his friends, family and colleagues have created the Dr. Bruce Mohr Memorial Fund. Gifts will pay tribute to his Dr. Mohr’s life and career by supporting awards for M.D. students focused on emergency medicine at UBC. For more information or to give in memory of Dr. Mohr, visit https://give.ubc.ca/memorial/bruce-mohr/.

Our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Mohr’s family and friends. He will be dearly missed.

From the Squamish Funeral Home and Crematorium:

It is with profound sadness that the family of Dr. Bruce P Mohr announce his passing on May 28th, 2023 at the age of 66 after a long and courageous battle with depression.

Bruce was born on April 20, 1957 in St. Boniface Manitoba and raised in Brighton Ontario. Bruce had a full life, rich in experiences, friends, and family. He was a natural athlete, a talented musician, an accomplished physician and passionate teacher. Above all else, he will be remembered as a family man who valued time spent with loved ones, particularly in the great-outdoors.

Bruce will be deeply missed by his family and community. He is survived by his parents, Willard and Mary, his daughter Holly Bair-Marshall (Max), his brothers Paul (Natalie) and Brian, his nephews Aaron and Andrew and his grandson Jackson, who adored him.

Bruce left us all far too soon, but the impact he had on his family and community will be felt forever. Those who knew Bruce know he was a cherished part of many circles thanks to his multiple passions in life; from his music to medicine and everything in between. The family wishes to thank each and every person who made up those circles that he loved so much. The years of skiing, biking, jamming and paddling truly brought him so much joy.

A celebration of life is being planned and details will be made available soon. In the meantime, honour Bruce by appreciating simple pleasures: breathing the fresh outdoor air, being physically active, and spending time with friends and family.

Photos: The photos below were snipped from the Tribute Wall on his Obituary and show what we always knew - he was a wonderful and caring person who we were certain would be an amazing family man and a dedicated professional regardless of what occupation he chose.

From Members of the Class of 1979

Andy Main. I have a lot of good memories of Bruce from rook camp and first year.  He always excelled at pretty much everything he did. I remember once during the Basic Officer Training Course (BOTC) when he said he would be taking his release right afterwards.  I was puzzled why he didn't just leave right away because BOTC back then was held at the end of first year, but he said he wanted to graduate from BOTC first. Typical Bruce!  Another funny anecdote that comes to mind is from around 1983.  Anna and I were in Ottawa on Dow's Lake during Winterlude and there was an audience-participation event for barrel-jumping on skates.  The person standing right beside me asked an organizer "Can anyone try this?"  and I recognized the voice immediately.  I turned to him and said "Only if your name is Bruce".  We both were kind of shocked at seeing each other after so many years but had a great laugh over it.  He was just finishing up med school at Ottawa U at the time.  Sadly, that was the last time we connected.

John Dixon. First met Bruce in a Bay of Quinte high school badminton tournament, likely around 1973 - he won. We car pooled together on weekend trips home during BOTC and I would drop him off in Brighton. Getting to know Bruce, even a little, led me to believe he was probably the most talented human I had ever met; when combined with striking levels of kindness and humbleness, he was truly remarkable. He also had a natural modesty about him that was unusual in such an accomplished individual. When I heard he had chosen medicine as a career, I had suspected it would be a good fit. 

Rich Gimblett. Bruce was my Recruit Term roommate, and I could not have wanted for better! NB When I asked if they remembered what instrument Bruce had played, Andy said he thought it was the trumpet, to which Rich emphatically replied “Definitely trumpet!”, so I am assuming he must have practiced in the dorms …