Obituary of Murray Richmond Lister

MURRAY RICHMOND LISTER

July 23, 1941 – March 22, 2018

Passed away peacefully, aged 76 years.  Murray is mourned by his wife of 51 years, Barbara; sons Murray (Kristen), Michael, and Scott (Erin); grandchildren Murray, Ainsley, Emma, Hailey, Felix and Theodore; sisters Sydney (Marvin) and Jaye and their families.  Step-mother Elizabeth ( Betsy) and step-sister Lynne Heaman held a special place in his heart.

Son of the late Air Vice-Marshall Murray D. Lister and Janet Caron, Murray was born in Winnipeg. During the course of his father’s career in the Air Force, the family lived in several Canadian locations and in Wimbledon, England. He attended Glebe Collegiate in Ottawa and earned a degree in Computer Science and an MBA from York University in Toronto. Following his retirement from public service, having spent 25 years with the Ontario Ministry of Transportation, he started his own consulting company. He was active in the Institute of Public Administration of Canada for many years.

Murray was an active outdoorsman who enjoyed white water canoeing, camping, sailing, skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, hockey, golf, curling and even dragon-boat racing. He passed on his knowledge and skills to his boys; they enjoyed many of these activities with him. He took pleasure in sharing time with friends and family in Meaford. When the boys were young, he coached kids’ hockey and soccer, and served as a Cub Scout leader for many years.

For the past eight years, Murray lived with Alzheimer’s disease. He bore his situation with dignity, and continued activities with his family and friends until recent months. Always interested in art and music, both became more important in his life, thanks to the outstanding day programme he attended for the last two years.

A funeral service and celebration of life will be held on Friday, April 13th at 11:00 a.m. in St. John’s Church York Mills, 19 Don Ridge Drive, Toronto.  To remember Murray, the family would appreciate donations to the Dotsa Bitove Wellness Academy:  http://dotsabitove.com/donate or call the Development Office at 416-340-4430.  Condolences, photographs and memories may be forwarded through www.humphreymilesnewbigging.com.