OBITUARY

Dr Brian Duncan Warman

25 November 1952 - 8 April 1922

Brian Warman retired as planned when he was 65, having devoted his life to his profession, his family and his faith. He fought valiantly against motor neurone disease which ultimately claimed his life.

Brian was brought up in Johannesburg and attended Marist Brothers College in Observatory. He served his national service before university, where he studied medicine, graduating MBBCh at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1977.

Brian had a great desire to do surgery and worked in Senior Surgical House officer posts and then on the Registrar circuit at the New Johannesburg General Hospital under Professor JA (Bert) Myburgh. He graduated as Fellow of the College Surgeons (FCS [SA]) in 1984. Brian then took up a consultant post at the Coronation Hospital from where in 1991 he was awarded his MMed (Ch).

Brian commenced private practice in Empangeni and shortly after in Richards Bay, where he worked at the Netcare Bay Hospital from its opening until 1997. He then relocated to the newly opened Umhlanga Hospital where he practised until 2017. Brian was an accomplished laparoscopic surgeon and had interests in ICU care, surgical nutrition and trauma surgery. He had a flourishing practice, was well respected amongst the resident specialists and had a warm and polite manner with the nursing staff, many of whom became close to him, not least because of his empathic and spiritual nature. He had a disarming way of addressing most folk as "young man!" or "young woman!"

Brian married Hester in 1983 after a short and romantic courtship. They were blessed with two daughters, Sarah and Katherine; later two grandsons, Travis and Brett, came into and enriched their lives. Hester describes him as a wonderful man who loved his family. He raised his girls with a firm hand, taught them to be independent, work hard and be money wise. He had a great love for nature and often spent time in the great outdoors to recharge from the stresses of life.

Brian was a man of faith and devoted a great deal of energy to his spiritual life. He spent time in prayer, was very involved in Bible study groups and sent daily inspirational spiritual messages to many folk.

He wanted to devote more time to this when he retired, which gave him great comfort when he was confronted with his own incurable illness. Brian was missed at Umhlanga Hospital after his retirement and his death has left a void among his family and his friends. We were privileged to have known him and to have worked alongside him.

Ivor Funnell and Don MacGillivray