Hugh Andrew Murray

Hugh Andrew Murray was born on July 2, 1939, in the Winnipeg borough of East Kildonan, the third offspring of Andrew and Florence Murray (nee Downing). He joined brother, Alex (1932) and sister, Frances (1934) completing the family. Hugh had red hair, freckles, and light blue eyes like his mother and many others in the Downing clan.

Despite this being the time of World War II, Winnipeg was a great place to grow up, and the extended Murray family spent a great deal of time together. Music, particularly choral music was a huge part of Murray family life and Hugh’s family, and his cousins and aunts were very active in Anglican Church choirs. Happy summers were spent at his Aunt Kitty Petrin’s (nee Murray) cottage at Lake Winnipeg’s Victoria Beach.

In 1951, the family moved to Victoria, BC which is where Hugh completed his public-school education at Victoria High School. In the fall of 1957, he enrolled at Victoria College (an early iteration of the University of Victoria) which was affiliated with the University of British Columbia. In 1962, he was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree, and soon after began teacher training which included stints as a student teacher at his high school alma mater. He received his teacher certification in 1965 and spent the first two years of his career teaching in Kimberly, BC which launched for Hugh a lifelong love of British Columbia’s Kootenay region. In 1967, he arrived in North Vancouver and was hired by School District 44 to teach at Balmoral Junior High. In September of 1970, he was transferred to Carisbrooke Elementary where he was assigned the position of Assistant to the Teacher-in-Charge of the Outdoor School located north and west in the area now known as “Sea to Sky” (the Squamish Lillooet Regional District). Hugh’s focus in university had been biology, more specifically botany, and he was a very early adapter to ecological issues. His time at Outdoor School was an extension of that passion and during the period 1969-1972 he became an active member of the BC Sierra Club and was involved in the project to create a trail (the West Coast Trail) and environmental sanctuary on Vancouver Island’s West Coast. When the funding ran out for his position at Outdoor School, he was assigned to Highland’s Elementary but soon after requested a transfer to the secondary school level. Eventually he came to Argyle Senior Secondary and remained there until his early retirement due to declining health January 1, 1996.

In retirement he pursued his hobbies and passions: photography, travel, and gardening, particularly the nurturing of beautiful roses. He travelled extensively, including Australia and New Zealand, but his greatest joy was making connections with the networks of cousins on both his father’s side in Scotland and his mother’s side in England.

Hugh was a good tenor and a good trumpet player. He was a member of the North Shore Light Opera Association and also performed in Metro Theatre productions, several of which were directed by his brother Alex and his sister-in-law Betty-Marie Murray (aka Bunny).

He spent all festival holidays (Christmas, Easter etc.), some vacations and many Sunday dinners with his brother and his family and with his sister, Fran Collard and her husband Robert (Bob). Up until her death in 2005, Hugh spent much of his time with his mother, Florence Murray who lived to the ripe age of 99.

During his first years in North Vancouver, Hugh lived in rental accommodations mostly in North Vancouver’s Upper Lonsdale neighbourhood. In 1977, he purchased his home in Norgate. He loved his home and garden and was a committed and involved resident of Norgate, and member of the Lower Capilano Ratepayers Association. His appearance at City Council meetings likely brought a look of fear to the faces of the elected representatives. The next time you try to find a short cut on the north side of Marine Drive en route to the Lion’s Gate Bridge or Capilano Road and find yourself at the end of a ‘No Through Road’ residential street or hit a speedbump, you can think of Hugh Murray.

By the period of 2012-2014, Hugh’s health had continued to decline due to a series of strokes and other ailments. He opted for independent living and moved to Burnaby’s Abbeyfield. After a short stay he moved to Burnaby’s Harmony Court where he remained until he had sadly lost most of his mobility. In the late fall of 2019, he went into full time care at Magnolia Gardens. Living in Langley moved him closer to his older sister Fran who resides in Langley’s, Walnut Grove region.

Hugh was predeceased by his brother Alex in 2022, and is survived by: his sister, Frances Collard, his nephew, Randy Murray (Rose); nieces, Barbara Delmonico (Dee), Judy Russell (Bill); nephew, Rob Collard (May) and niece, Lynn Collard (Ian); 9 great-nephews and 1 great-niece (a birth phenomenon that he would often share with his junior high biology students); and… 9 great-great nieces and nephews. Hugh was very close to his sister-in-law, Bunny Murray who died in 2011 and to his brother-in-law, Bob Collard who died in 2019.

A person of faith (a cradle Anglican), Hugh was most recently associated (the 2000s) with the Parish of St. Catherine, Capilano and later St. Alban the Martyr, Burnaby during his years at Harmony Court. He received last rites on Monday, June 26 from the Reverend Andrew Halladay, Vicar of St. Andrew the Apostle, Langley. The Reverend Halladay is a long-time friend of the family, particularly of his niece Judy Russell.

Many thanks to the staff of Magnolia Gardens under the skilled, compassionate leadership of Sue Wilson for making Hugh’s last years (not to mention the COVID era {Hugh never had COVID!}) the best that they could possibly be.

A Memorial Service with Interment of ashes will be scheduled later in order to ensure that family members not living in the Vancouver/Fraser Valley will be able to attend.