Brian Grove Sparkes, Ph.D., was born November 4, 1941 in Newport, South Wales, UK, and died December 18, 2011 in St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto. After immigration to Canada in 1951 he completed secondary school in London, Ontario. Earning two degrees from the University of Western Ontario, Brian was awarded a National Cancer Institute Fellowship to study at McGill University and subsequently earned his doctorate at the University of Ottawa. He is survived by his brother Rev. Robert Charles Sparkes, retired & living near Orillia. Beloved uncle to David Craig Sparkes of Toronto & Andrew Mark Sparkes of Orillia, and great uncle to Serena & Lara Rae Dzhikowski, & Hannah Cincius Sparkes, he was pre-deceased by his parents: Robert Charles Sparkes, Sr. & Phyllis (Clapp) Sparkes. Dr. Sparkes was internationally renowned for ground-breaking research on the role of immune failure in burn injury, first at the Defence and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine (DCIEM, now DRDC Toronto) and later with Swiss scientists at the University of Basel. For this work he received the 1994 Ambroise Paré Award in Augsburg, Germany. His work at DCIEM on the role of a naturally-occurring sleep-inducing peptide took him to Africa to study victims of sleeping sickness.
Brian’s passionate interest in cancer research began even before graduate school, when his work at the Health and Welfare laboratories in Ottawa led to the first isolation of a bacterial growh inhibitor in 1968. A devoted member of the International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine for many years, he increasingly concerned himself with advising individuals of their best orthomolecular and nutritional treatment options. This activity completely occupied his last few “retirement” years, keeping him from his lifelong enjoyment of playing the piano, and regrettably ending with his own death from an aggressive lymphoma. Brian had a particular concern for maltreated dogs, and his deep understanding of nutritional biochemistry sometimes helped cure the diseased pets of his friends as well.
Burial arrangements are being made through the Humphrey Funeral Home in Toronto.
A memorial will be held for family, friends, and colleagues from the musical and scientific communities:
For details, please call the Orthomolecular Medicine office 416-733-2117.
Memorial donations may be made to the Society for Orthomolecular Medicine (www.orthomed.org), Tails from Greece Rescue ( www.garcanada.bizland.com), or a charity of your choice.
Saturday, March 3
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
McLean House
The Estates of Sunnybrook
2075 Bayview Avenue, Toronto
