Obituary of Theresa Marie McMurtry

Theresa (Teri) Marie mcMURTRY

(née LEGAULT)
 September 24, 1936 – November 1, 2021

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Theresa, who died peacefully and comfortably on Monday, November 1, 2021, at the age of 85.   Born in Toronto, Ontario she was the eldest daughter of Honoré (Henry) Raoul Legault and Mary Norris Legault (née Crossett).

Friends and family remember Teri as a fun-loving and forward-thinking individual who loved to shop, read, ski, swim, bird watch, play tennis and bridge, stay abreast of current affairs, winter in Florida, take field naturalist walks, attend Unitarian services, and enjoy the fellowship of the Red Hat Society.

Teri attended Our Lady of Lourdes School, then Notre Dame High School, before graduating from the St. Michael’s College School of Nursing in Toronto.  Teri worked part-time as a nurse, many times until she saved up enough money to take a ski vacation.  In the 1960s she moved to Vancouver and became the Western Canada Regional Sales Manager for Dorothy Gray Cosmetics, a glamourous job that she loved.

Teri married William Denton McMurtry, the son of Capt. Claude Ashbourne McMurtry and Rosamond McMurtry (née Denton), with whom she had one child, Andrew Guy McMurtry, in 1968. The family enjoyed living at Summerhill Gardens, spending time at their cottage on Smoke Lake, Algonquin Park, and were active in Rosedale Liberal politics until Denton’s tragic death in 1972, at age 46.

Teri’s paternal family can be traced to Noël Legault, who arrived in New France in 1695 as a soldier in François Le Verrier de Rousson’s company in the Compagnies franches de la marine.  Legault served during Comte de Frontenac’s second term as Governor General, and he was given the nom de guerre Legault dit Deslauriers. Noël married Marie Besnard dit Lajeunesse, in 1698, before settling in Pointe-Claire, Quebec.

Teri’s mother, Mary Norris Crossett, was a child when she came to Canada with her own mother, Louise Jean Crossett (née Hamilton), from Motherwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Her Aunt Sarah (Sally) Sloan Crossett was born shortly before her grandfather, John “Jack” Crossett, passed away. Louise Jean then married Russell Robbins with whom she had three more children: Helen Robbins, William Hamilton Robbins, and Donald Leonard Robbins. Teri will be sadly missed by her beloved cousins, Doug, Yvette, Carole, Rick, Debi, Karen, Cathy and Judi and their families.

Teri is deeply mourned by Anthony (Tony) Hugh Welch, father of Moray, Ross and the late Gavin Welch, the faithful “Driver of Miss Teri” with whom she shared an active social and travel life over many years.

Teri is survived by her dutiful son, Andrew, her loving sister, Jacqueline Annette Brand (née Legault), widow of Donald Brand, her nephews, Donald, Christopher, Robert and Steven Brand and their families. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Peter McMurtry, and sister-in-law, Susan McMurtry, and her nephews, Darcy McMurtry, and Evan McMurtry.

There will be a Celebration of Life in 2022 and Theresa’s ashes will be interred at the McMurtry family plot in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto.  In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful if friends make a donation in Theresa’s name to a charity of their choosing. Condolences may be forwarded through www.humphreymiles.com.

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