Beverley Elaine Pearson

1929 – 2020

Dr. Beverley Elaine Pearson Murphy, B.A., M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., FRSC, FACP, ASCI

Passed away peacefully on April 27, 2020 in her 92nd year.

The daughter of Ernest Pearson and Edith Johnson, she is predeceased by her husband Dr Ray Murphy, and her sister Madeline Maltby. Beloved mother of Madeleine (Ian) and Catherine (Tim), and cherished grandmother of Caiti, Michelle, Caroline and Patrick MacEachen, and John and Elizabeth O’Meara. She also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews in Ontario, the UK and Spain and many friends and colleagues around the world.

Bev was born in Toronto on the eve of the Great Depression. While neither of her parents had gone further than Grade 5, they strongly encouraged her to pursue her education. She did so with gusto, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in Honours Science from the University of Toronto in 1952, followed by an M.D. in 1956. She moved to Montréal where she completed her Masters’ degree in Experimental Medicine at McGill University in 1960, undertaking her residency at the Royal Victoria Hospital. Her PhD in Investigative Medicine resulted in several publications including two Citation Classics, as well as a patent and launched a very distinguished research career in endocrinology that spanned over 40 years.

She was certified in Québec in both Medical Biochemistry (1968) and in Endocrinology (1970). She received numerous awards, notably the Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism and the Distinguished Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression. In 1987, she was named an Officer of the Order of Québec. A Professor at McGill University in the departments of Medicine (1975), Obstetrics-Gynecology (1979) and Psychiatry (1985), she was granted the title professor emerita in 2001. She continued to conduct research and to see patients into her 80s.

Always a firm believer in staying fit, she took up cross-country skiing in her 40s, running in her 50s, became a fixture at the local gym in her 60s and learned to Zumba in her 70s. A keen musician, she played the piano into her 80s. In her later years, she traveled extensively with her lifelong best friend Joyce, visiting numerous exotic locales. Bev was a strong supporter of conservation and humanitarian causes.

Special thanks to the staff at St Andrews for their diligent care and kindness. And much gratitude to Judy, Iris and Elaine, who made her last few years so much better with their gentle companionship.

Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of your choice.

A celebration of life will be arranged in Bev’s honour at a later date.