Obituary for Julian "Paul" Murray
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of (Julian) Paul Murray of Elora, a loving father, grandfather, husband and friend on May 29, 2022, at the Groves Memorial Hospital in Fergus, with his family by his side.
Paul was born on February 18, 1942 to Joan (née Flint) and Maurice Bartlett in Froxfield, England. After Maurice’s death in WWII, Joan remarried William Murray of Scotland who adopted Paul.
The family immigrated to Canada when Paul was four years old, settling in the Leaside area of Toronto. He graduated from Upper Canada College in 1960, and Western University in 1964.
Paul is survived by his daughter Kim (Jeff Doerr) and son Christopher (Tracey Kenney) as well as his four grandchildren Evan and Ryan Doerr and Jackson and Maria Murray. He was pre-deceased by his loving wife Anne Murray (née Peace) in 2014.
Paul met Anne at a friend’s wedding, and shortly thereafter they were engaged! They married February 17, 1968. Kimberly arrived first, with Christopher arriving a few years later.
Paul managed his family shoe business during this time, in Leaside, Nortown and Applewood but the family decided to leave city life and move to a 5-acre property in Vandorf, Ontario in 1976. Paul plunged head first into country life, coaching Kim’s and Chris’s ball teams, owning three cats and two dogs all at once, and landscaping the property with Anne, their shared passion. He changed careers later in life, closing the shoe stores and following his passion to work outdoors. He was a groundskeeper for several golf courses, happily working until well into his 70s. He and Anne took every chance to travel around the world including adventures on safari in Africa and an Alaskan cruise, making new friends wherever they travelled.
Paul and Anne left Vandorf to join Kim and Jeff in Elora in 2010. This ushered in a wonderful era of small town living including friends, community and family. This suited his social and active personality perfectly. He loved to hear and tell a good story, he had a great laugh and he always made people feel welcome. He and Anne were also lucky enough to live closer to their long-time friends Marcia and Chris Howarth, continuing their long-time tradition of theatre-going at Drayton.
Pop could often be seen sitting in the stands cheering his grandchildren at sporting events, proudly retelling their adventures to his biking group over coffee at Tim’s. Family gatherings were highlights for Paul, especially the annual tradition of his grandchildren painting his garage walls at Thanksgiving and his chance to fill their stockings with bonbons at Christmas.
When on his own, Paul was happiest tootling around town in his Red Miata or patting every single dog who crossed his path when out for walks. He loved dogs and their owners equally!
As per his wishes, there will be no visitation or service, but a party to celebrate his life on July 9th.
If so moved, a donation to your local animal shelter would no doubt bring a smile to Paul’s face. 😎
Paul was born on February 18, 1942 to Joan (née Flint) and Maurice Bartlett in Froxfield, England. After Maurice’s death in WWII, Joan remarried William Murray of Scotland who adopted Paul.
The family immigrated to Canada when Paul was four years old, settling in the Leaside area of Toronto. He graduated from Upper Canada College in 1960, and Western University in 1964.
Paul is survived by his daughter Kim (Jeff Doerr) and son Christopher (Tracey Kenney) as well as his four grandchildren Evan and Ryan Doerr and Jackson and Maria Murray. He was pre-deceased by his loving wife Anne Murray (née Peace) in 2014.
Paul met Anne at a friend’s wedding, and shortly thereafter they were engaged! They married February 17, 1968. Kimberly arrived first, with Christopher arriving a few years later.
Paul managed his family shoe business during this time, in Leaside, Nortown and Applewood but the family decided to leave city life and move to a 5-acre property in Vandorf, Ontario in 1976. Paul plunged head first into country life, coaching Kim’s and Chris’s ball teams, owning three cats and two dogs all at once, and landscaping the property with Anne, their shared passion. He changed careers later in life, closing the shoe stores and following his passion to work outdoors. He was a groundskeeper for several golf courses, happily working until well into his 70s. He and Anne took every chance to travel around the world including adventures on safari in Africa and an Alaskan cruise, making new friends wherever they travelled.
Paul and Anne left Vandorf to join Kim and Jeff in Elora in 2010. This ushered in a wonderful era of small town living including friends, community and family. This suited his social and active personality perfectly. He loved to hear and tell a good story, he had a great laugh and he always made people feel welcome. He and Anne were also lucky enough to live closer to their long-time friends Marcia and Chris Howarth, continuing their long-time tradition of theatre-going at Drayton.
Pop could often be seen sitting in the stands cheering his grandchildren at sporting events, proudly retelling their adventures to his biking group over coffee at Tim’s. Family gatherings were highlights for Paul, especially the annual tradition of his grandchildren painting his garage walls at Thanksgiving and his chance to fill their stockings with bonbons at Christmas.
When on his own, Paul was happiest tootling around town in his Red Miata or patting every single dog who crossed his path when out for walks. He loved dogs and their owners equally!
As per his wishes, there will be no visitation or service, but a party to celebrate his life on July 9th.
If so moved, a donation to your local animal shelter would no doubt bring a smile to Paul’s face. 😎