Cancer doctor, Professor Wycliffe Lofters dies after illustrious career
Jamaican Professor Wycliffe Lofters, known for his illustrious career as an oncologist who specialised in breast and colon cancers, died in Canada earlier this month, aged 78, the family announced.
After leaving Cornwall College in Montego Bay where he blazed a reputation on the track, Dr Lofters went on to study medicine at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, in the 1960s. There he met his wife, Felicia, who read for a bachelor’s degree and later taught at the Immaculate Conception.
Following postgraduate studies, Cliff, as he was affectionately called, lectured in haematology at The UWI, becoming president of the academic staff union, West Indies Group of University Teachers (WIGUT) from 1981-82.
He migrated to Canada in the 1980s and became a professor in oncology at Queen’s University, retiring in 2014. His two children, Steven and Aisha, followed in their father’s footsteps as medical doctors — Steven specialising in radiology and practising here in Kingston, Jamaica, while Aisha went into family medicine.
Aisha described her dad as a cheerful, humble and very modest person: “He really loved what he did and would often tell us that when you encounter a patient, you don’t look at their clothing or skin colour or anything else. The important thing was to recognise these are people who need your help.”
A scholarship in his name and Felicia’s was established at UWI to be available to rural Jamaican nationals. In that same spirit of giving back, Felicia is interested in establishing a fund in his memory to benefit his alma mater, president of the Kingston Chapter of the Cornwall College Old Boys’ Association, Patrick Thompson said.
“We extend our sincere condolences to Felicia, Steven, Aisha and other loved ones and friends as we celebrate the life of our ‘Man of Might’ and hold treasured memories of his life,” said Thompson, an attorney.
A memorial service will be held in Toronto on a date to be announced, to be followed by inurnment in Jamaica.
— Compiled by Kevin Wainwright and edited by Desmond Allen
