Obituary: Beloved palliative care ‘Dr. Bev’ said she had best job in the world

As head of palliative care at St. Peter's Hospital, Dr. Beverly Hattersley said she had the best job in the world.

It was her job to help those with terminal illnesses have a safe and comfortable departure from this world. Each year, some 400 people died under her care at the hospital, which is part of Hamilton Health Sciences.

Palliative care teaches us gratitude," she told the Toronto Star in 2014 after she declared it the best job in the world.

You get to go home on your own two feet and feel the rain or hear the robins ... it just reminds you of what you have and what your patients don't have.

Every day, I see the courage of these people. Every day, I'm reminded of blessings."

The impact she had was acknowledged by the many families of her patients. Dr. Bev, as she preferred to be called, was often mentioned in newspaper death notices by family thanking her for the care of their loved ones. These came from people all over Hamilton, and from such places as Brantford and Guelph.

Hattersley was presented with a Cornerstone Award from HHS in recognition of her commitment to patient care.

Hattersley died suddenly on May 28 following an operation to repair a large tear in her aorta. She was 69 and preparing to retire at the end of June.

Bev was the most conscientious physician I have ever worked with in over 45 years in medicine," Dr. Richard Seeley, chief of complex care, aging and palliative care at St. Peter's Hospital, said in a HHS statement. We have lost a dear friend and colleague."

Kim Alvarado, director of oncology, critical care and palliative care at HHS, described Hattersley as a shining light" who developed deep and meaningful relationships with her patients, staff and colleagues.

She started her career as a nurse and never forgot her humble caring roots," she said in a statement.

Dr. Ralph Meyer, vice-president of oncology and palliative care at HHS, said Hattersley was a motivator.

She provided care with great compassion and motivated all those around her to do the same," he said in a statement. She made St. Peter's Hospital and Hamilton Health Sciences a better place and has left a legacy."

Hattersley was born June 29, 1951, in Fort Erie to Glenn and Miriam Reddon. Her father was an accountant at a steel company and her mother worked in a laboratory at Douglas Memorial Hospital. Hattersley graduated from Torrance Street Public School and Fort Erie Secondary School, then graduated as a nurse from McMaster's nursing program.

She met her husband Garth at a McMaster residence party and they got married in 1973. She worked in the 1970s in McMaster's neonatal unit, and one of her jobs was to keep watch on babies too ill to survive.

Hattersley got interested in becoming a doctor and, in 1987 at the age of 36, she went back to school. She spent 14 years as a family doctor delivering babies and working at a practice in Waterdown. The Dundas resident transitioned into palliative care in 2004 and became medical director of the palliative care unit at St. Peter's Hospital in 2008.

In a 2014 series called Death and Dying," the Star profiled Hattersley in a story called Portrait of a palliative care doctor." It described how she walked through the halls of St. Peter's, reviewing charts and reports and having bedside talks with patients and families about what palliative care is.

It's not how brilliantly you diagnose or prescribe, it's how you relate it to people and listen to them and make them feel," she said.

Her husband Garth, a retired businessperson, said his wife was his best friend.

She really had a love for people and a love for life," he said. She loved to be busy."

Her son Craig, who works for a landscape company, called his mother amazing.

She knew so many people," he said. Wherever we went, there was always someone who recognized her."

Hattersley is survived by husband Garth, sons Craig and Graham, daughter Adrienne, six grandchildren and sister MaryLynn. A celebration of life is planned for later this year.

Daniel Nolan can be reached at dannolanwrites@gmail.com