It is with profound sadness that the family of Dr. John Gordon McMillan Murray announces his death on October 23rd, 2015 after a very brief illness. This sadness is lessened by a tremendous sense of gratitude for having been blessed with such a gentle and loving brother, father, and grandfather for so many years.

Born on November 3rd, 1926 in Prestonpans, Scotland to John Dickson Murray and Grace Eleanor (Anderson) Murray, he attended local schools where he excelled at academics and athletics. He won a scholarship to attend the University of Edinburgh Medical School. He graduated in 1947 at the age of twenty-one and began a medical career dedicated to helping others, which spanned four continents and lasted for fifty-four years. He first joined the army and served overseas as a Medical Officer with the Scots Guards from 1949 to 1954. Upon discharge he took a job as Ship’s Doctor aboard a Norwegian whaling vessel on a six-month expedition to the Antarctic, crossing the equator on his twenty-sixth birthday.

He next took a one-year assignment at St Luke’s Hospital in New York where he met Lilla Alexandria Zickler, a young and beautiful nurse. She became his cherished wife and together they returned to Scotland where their first child was born. Dr. Murray joined the British Colonial Service in 1955 and was assigned to Northern Nigeria. There the couple had three more children, and Dr. Murray worked tirelessly as a Chief Medical Officer for eleven years.

In November 1966 the family immigrated to Canada, where Dr. Murray was proud to become Bible Hill’s first physician. He developed a very busy family practice where he delivered babies, made house calls and received calls from patients at his home. He kept his office open three nights a week to ensure that his patients would not have to miss work to see him. At seventy, Dr. Murray went to work doing rural locums in Parrsboro, Canso and Advocate Harbour. He finally retired at the age of seventy-five. In his little spare time, he took joy in physical work, especially in his woodlot. In the evenings he relaxed with a book of poetry, a glass of good scotch, and a beloved dog close by.

Besides his parents, Gordon was predeceased by his wife Lilla in 2001. He is survived by his twin brother Melville of Chelmsford, England and his sister Muriel of Guilford, England as well his three daughters Sheila McDougall, Valerie Guinan, and Pamela MacCormick, and his son, Gordon Murray. He has eleven grandchildren, Katherine and Scott McDougall, William, Vincent, Alexandria, John and Sophia Guinan, John and Grace MacCormick, and Emma and Alexander Murray.

A celebration of Dr. Murray’s life will be held on Thursday, October 29th at 10am at St James’ Presbyterian Church. Visitation will precede the service at 9 am. A reception will be held at the Holiday Inn on Prince Street, where everyone is welcome to join the family after the service. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Dr. Murray can be made to the Colchester SPCA or the Cobequid Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Colchester Community Funeral Home, 512 Willow Street, Truro. Condolences to the family may be made at ColchesterCommunity.com