Peter VLAD

PETER VLAD, MD, FRCPC (Petre) March 19, 1922 - March 13, 2020 Died quietly at his home, surrounded by his children and beloved cats, a few days shy of his 98th birthday. He was born in Cluj, Romania, in 1922 and received his medical education from the University of Bucharest, though failing to receive an actual degree due to the political turmoil of the mid-1940s. Despite coming from a politically active family, he survived World War II and the Soviet invasion and occupation of Romania, and in 1948 escaped from Romania on foot, finding his way to freedom in Paris, France. Peter eventually made his way to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In Toronto, with Doctors John D. Keith, Richard D. Rowe, William Mustard, and others, he helped develop the field of Pediatric Cardiology, then in its infancy. At The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids), he helped develop catheterization of the left side of the heart, and was one of the first to perform the procedure in infants. It was during this time he co-authored Heart Disease in Infancy and Childhood, with Drs. Keith and Rowe, considered to be the seminal textbook of pediatric cardiology. It was also at Sick Kids that he met Arliss Weber, a nurse who liked the way he carried babies and who asked him to a hospital picnic. They wed in 1954. He finally obtained his degree in medicine from the University of Buffalo in 1958. Dr. Vlad worked at hospitals in both Canada and the United States including Sick Kids in Toronto (1951-1957 ), Buffalo Children's Hospital (1957-1963 and 1968-1979), the University of Iowa (1963-1968) and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) in Ottawa, Ontario, (1979-1997) He was a Professor of Medicine at the Universities of Buffalo, Iowa, and Ottawa, where he taught hundreds of medical students, residents, and fellows. He retired for the first time in 1989, subsequently returned to work, and retired for the second and last time in 1997. Peter was active in retirement as a woodworker, a volunteer at the Experimental Farm in Ottawa, and as a spectacular caretaker for Arliss, who died before him in 2006. He was an avid supporter and follower of ice-hockey (men's and women's). He was a true renaissance man with widespread knowledge in the sciences and art, and he embraced technology in all its forms throughout his life. In his 80s he became a student of opera and it became his passion until his death. He moved to Arlington, MA in 2010 and later to Quincy, MA to be with and receive the love and support of his children Pete, Kirk, Nan (Paul Marotta), Tina, and Steven (Krys Modrzejewski). He is also survived by his special granddaughter, Claire Holmes (Toronto); his step-grandson, Perry Marotta (Satia); and several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. Peter was predeceased by his wife, Arliss; sister, Rodica; brother, Mircea; and parents, Petre and Valeria (Liuba). He was deeply loved and will be sorely missed. The family extends heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Heidi Auerbach at Boston Medical Center, the staff at BrightView Senior Living in Arlington, Tracy Daly, FNP-C, ACHPN, and Visiting Nurses Community Care of Arlington, MA.