Mrs. May Gertrude Murray

Mom was predeceased by her first-born infant son Bruce, her husband of 57 years Jim, and her brother Bill. She is survived by her children Joan, Rob (Joanne), and Blair (Glynis, Jackie); her grandchildren Ryan, Kyle, Rachel, Justine, and Drew; nephews Ian (Grace) and Eric (Cynthia), and their families.

May was born in Wingham, Ontario and moved to Victoria, BC as a child, where she fell in love with the magnificent Garry oak meadows and rocky shorelines. Here she met her life-long friend, Joyce Folbigg. Together they went to school, graduated from Oak Bay High, and later travelled all over Canada and the world.

May studied nursing at the Royal Jubilee Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in the top of her class in 1949. May and Jim married in Victoria in the summer of 1950. Jim was an Army officer and they were stationed in Montreal after the wedding and then in Germany. Upon returning to Canada, they were stationed at a number of postings across Canada until Dad retired from the military in 1971 and they settled in Lynn Valley in North Vancouver.

May worked part-time as an RN at Norburn Medical Clinic in Burnaby to finance her many trips to raft, paddle, and backpack the rivers and wilderness areas of Canada that she loved so much. She was also an accomplished badminton and tennis player and enjoyed playing both at Hollyburn in West Vancouver.

Mom was a fabulous cook and baker who loved to entertain. She was a talented seamstress who made much of her own clothing and was always knitting garments for her children and later for her grandchildren. She enjoyed working in her garden. We had quite a berry patch on Doran Road and every year there were lots of pies and jam made.

May was an environmentalist and dedicated volunteer. She volunteered with the National and Provincial Parks Association, later the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, for more than 30 years. She was secretary-treasurer for Friends of the Stikine Society, which was instrumental in preventing the Stikine River and its spectacular Grand Canyon from being dammed by BC Hydro. She was a long-time active member of the Vancouver Natural History Society, and a supporter of the Nature Conservancy. More recently, she volunteered for years at the Mills House in Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. She received many awards recognising her long-time dedication to the environment and volunteerism.

Mom had beautiful handwriting and over the years wrote hundreds of letters to provincial and federal governments and politicians advocating for the environment and wildlife of Canada.

May lived in her own home until she was 90. Over the years, she loved the company of her many different “rescue” dogs. She walked her latest, Rascal, twice a day every day. She also turned out numerous family dinners and fabulous berry pies.

The family would like to thank the dedicated nurses and caregivers at Evergreen House in North Vancouver for all the compassionate and excellent care Mom received there over the past two years.

Memorial service to be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, our family requests that any donations be made to your local SPCA or animal shelter.