Obituary of Dr. Lee Edward Stickles

Lee Edward Stickles passed away in his home on July 27th following an extended period of declining health. Born in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick on May 2, 1928, Lee developed a strong work ethic at an early age delivering papers as a boy and groceries with a horse-drawn buggy or sled, depending on the season, as a teenager. Lee excelled academically and attended Acadia University, graduating with a BA in 1950. Lee earned his MD from Dalhousie University in 1955. He completed an internship at Saint John General Hospital and was awarded the Col. Murray McLaren award for best intern. Dr. Stickles completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan in 1956 and a residency in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit in 1958. After a year-long teaching fellowship at the University of Michigan, Lee returned to New Brunswick in 1959 where he practiced pediatrics in Fredericton with compassion, wit, an astonishing work ethic, extraordinary professional skills, and a contagious sense of humor for the next 54 years. In addition to his patients, Dr. Stickles served the medical community through a variety of volunteer positions including as Director of the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Paediatric Society, terms as President of the York-Sunbury-Queens Medical Society, the Atlantic Provinces Paediatric Society, and the Fredericton Medical Clinic as well as representative on the Canadian Medical Association Board of Directors. Dr. Stickles was the recipient of many honors and awards during his distinguished career including the Order of Merit (1993) and the Dr. Garfield Moffatt Medal (1998) from the New Brunswick Medical Society (1993), the Distinguished Community Paediatrician Award from the Canadian Pediatric Society (2000), and a Special Achievement Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics (2004). Beyond these formal recognitions, Dr. Stickles was honored daily by the gratitude of his patients and their families as well as the universal respect of his colleagues. Lee married Mary Buck in 1954. Over the next 68 years they built a life together based on a shared commitment to family and community. Lee was proud to be a New Brunswicker and particularly proud to have made his career and raised his family in Fredericton. He was honored for his many contributions to the city in 1998 when he received the Fredericton Chamber of Congress Distinguished Citizen award, an honor Mary would also receive a decade later. Lee is survived by his wife, Mary Stickles; his daughters Judy Stickles (Jeff Hecker) and Marilee Stickles-White (John White); his grandchildren, Lee Hecker (Melissa Kimble), Olivia Hecker (Michael Deel), Kevin White and Kayla White; his sisters, Elsie Perry and Connie Estabrook; brother-in-law Don Buck (Maureen McKee), and several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held at St. Paul’s United Church on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, at 2 p.m., with Rev. Michelle Armstrong officiating. In accordance with the church’s policy, attendees must wear masks while in the church. For those unable to attend, a recording of the service will be available at the following link: https://vimeo.com/734692560 . In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the John Wood Foundation, 103 Lanark St., Oromocto, NB, E3V 1C5 or the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Canada, P.O. Box 28028 RPO Oakridge London, ON, N6H 9Z9 or a charity of the donor’s choice.