Flags have been lowered to half-staff to honour the recent passing of Dr. John Cronhelm – considered a pioneer of the Newfoundland Health Care system.

He was the first in the province to ventilate premature babies, and was one of just a handful of pain specialists in the province.

A native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Dr. Cronhelm moved to St. Anthony to work for the International Grenfell Association after immigrating to Canada in 1957.

He started out as a surgical resident at the St. John’s General Hospital before moving on to St. Anthony.

He worked in St. Anthony for over 35 years and was an active member of the United Church.

A celebration of his life will be held at St. James United Church in St. John’s on Thursday at 2:00 p.m.