Dr. George H. Tutill, a Nicola Valley fixture for more than 40 years, survived many heartaches in his lifetime, but his achievements as a good and caring doctor will long be remembered in the Merritt community.

Born on December 6, 1869 in Hunslet, Yorkshire, George came to Canada as a young man. He graduated with a degree in medicine at Bishop’s College (now McGill University) in Montreal.

In 1901, he started a practice in the Nicola Valley and immediately started to build his reputation by taking a four-horse stagecoach to the Inland Hospital in Kamloops. He operated on a gravely ill patient, who then quickly recovered.

In the spring of 1905, Dr. Tutill married Grace Douglas and that summer he was put in charge of medical services for railway construction going on in the Valley.

With the new railway, Merritt was booming and the lure was irresistible for the doctor. He and Grace bought a house at the foot of Cemetery Hill and he began treating patients out of his home, in addition to making house calls.

Dr. Tutill was very active in the community. He helped set up the first hospital in Merritt, which was completely furnished with medical equipment and used until the Nicola Valley General Hospital was built in 1912.

Tutill stopped seeing patients in his home and began working at the new hospital on Priest Street when it opened. When they heard of the explosion at the Diamond Vale mine in March of that year, he and another doctor jumped on their horses, galloped to the site, and began tirelessly treating patients for burns and other injuries before sending them on to the hospital.

In 1906, his only child, Douglas, was born.

Tutill was appointed Justice of the Peace and his name is on many birth and death certificates in the museum archives.

Dr. Tutill got even busier when he became the school health officer and a member of the hospital board.

In 1908, he spent long hours caring for Merrittonians after a deadly typhoid outbreak.

Tutill stopped seeing patients in his home and began working at the new hospital on Priest Street when it opened. When they heard of the explosion at the Diamond Vale mine in March of that year, he and another doctor jumped on their horses, galloped to the site, and began tirelessly treating patients for burns and other injuries before sending them on to the hospital.

The Tutill family eventually moved to a new home on Nicola Avenue. Douglas was an excellent student and received many accolades for his athletic abilities.

But misfortune struck the family in January of 1923 when Grace, who had caught a bad case of the flu, fainted and hit her head against a radiator.

Dr. Tutill rushed to her aid but was unable to save her. She was pronounced dead at only 52 years of age.

After a period of mourning, Dr. Tutill returned to his practice and Douglas graduated from Merritt High School before attending the Pictou Academy in Nova Scotia. Douglas then went on to get his Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of British Columbia — the first Merritt graduate to earn a university degree.

Unable to shake a persistent cold, Douglas tested himself and discovered he had advanced tuberculosis. He was only 28 years old when he died, and was buried next to his mother in the family plot at the Nicola Cemetery.

Following in his father’s footsteps, he went to McGill where he earned his medical degree in 1932. He did his residency at the Montreal General and the Children’s Hospital before returning to Merritt to work with George as a doctor.

But tragedy again struck the family.

Unable to shake a persistent cold, Douglas tested himself and discovered he had advanced tuberculosis. He was only 28 years old when he died, and was buried next to his mother in the family plot at the Nicola Cemetery.

From all accounts, Dr. Tutill was devastated and soon cut back on his work and other activities.

And then another crushing blow. In 1940, Dr. Tutill was placed under arrest and charged with three counts of the illegal selling of drugs. At the trial evidence was given that the doctor “sold morphine tablets when the drug was not required for medical purposes and not prescribed for medical treatment.”

It was front page news.

The charges did not stand up in court, however, with the jury taking less than an hour to return a not guilty verdict on the first two charges. The third charge was later dropped.

Mrs. John Ovington, his housekeeper and former nurse-receptionist was quoted as saying, “He really died of a broken heart and there was nothing else much wrong with him.”

After he was completely exonerated on all three charges the Doctor returned home to continue his practice.

But the death of his family members and the stress of the trial had taken their toll. When he was 71 years old Dr. Tutill’s health began to decline. He had diagnosed his own condition as pneumonia. Because of his age and infirmity he was denied a licence to drive a new car he had purchased.

In September of that same year Dr. George Tutill died after lapsing into a coma. But Mrs. John Ovington, his housekeeper and former nurse-receptionist was quoted as saying, “He really died of a broken heart and there was nothing else much wrong with him.”

Dr. Tutill was laid to rest alongside his beloved Grace and Douglas at the Nicola Cemetery.

For more information on the history of Merritt and the Nicola Valley, call or come and visit the Nicola Valley Museum and Archives, 1675 Tutill Court, (250)-378-4145. You can also visit our website at www.nicolavalleymuseum.org., or follow us on Facebook.