THE ADVOCATE 441
VOL. 80 PART 3 MAY 2022
Douglas Vernon Whitworth, Q.C.
Doug Whitworth, Q.C., was born in Burnaby on July
10, 1932 to Vern and Ruth (née Ferris) Whitworth and
passed away near O’Leary, Prince Edward Island on
December 20, 2021.
Doug grew up in Vancouver and attended elementary
school at Edith Cavell Elementary and high
school at King Edward Secondary School, where,
upon graduation, he was the class valedictorian. He won the Badminton
Championship at the Vancouver Lawn and Tennis Club in January 1950.
Doug obtained his bachelor of law degree from UBC in 1955. He spent his
professional life with the predecessor firm to the present Harper Grey LLP,
where he had a varied civil litigation practice. In the earlier days of practice,
it was common for insurance defence counsel to take extended trips around
the province to conduct examinations for discovery in various cases. Those
who followed Doug soon learned that he had friends at the bar in the
numerous cities and towns where he had preceded them, and the wiser
ones dined out on Doug’s reputation for fairness, tempered by a keen sense
of humour, and convivial demeanour.
Doug was appointed Queen’s Counsel in December 1987.
Doug told a story of an appearance at a trial when he found himself to be
losing focus. The next thing he knew he found himself on the floor after he
had fallen asleep in his chair.
His appearances in the Court of Appeal covered a variety of subjects
including personal injury litigation, insurance contracts, civil procedure,
family law, labour and employment law, and property law.
In the latter days of his active practice, Doug and his third wife Barbie
moved to the Sunshine Coast, from where he commuted to Vancouver for a
period of time. They raised horses on an acreage, part of which they sold to
Barbie’s parents. Doug pursued gardening and cooking, enjoyed a houseful
of pets and cherished his experiences with his bridge group.
On their acreage, dogs, cats and horses could be found, and even the pig
from next door. Doug was an animal lover. One day, Doug and Barbie’s dogs
started barking wildly. Doug opened the door to find a 300-pound sow
standing there. He said it was fortunate that he had a strong heart because
the shock was immediate. Off in the distance, a lady could be heard calling,
“Tammy, Tammy!” The pig turned around and ran toward the voice calling
her name. The pig’s name, it turned out, was Tammy Swynette.