Dr. Murray Morris Neilson
1930-2019
Dr Murray Morris Neilson
The family of Murray
Neilson wish to announce his passing on Monday January 28, 2019.
Murray was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Aug. 21, 1930. He lived in many
Canadian cities before coming to UNB in 1949 and spent most of his
adult life in Fredericton.
He is survived by his wife of 45
years Heather (Whyte), his daughter Linda (Tony Rhinelander)
Traceyville, his daughter Jennifer (Brian Scott) Amhertsburg, Ont. and
his son Eric (Tri Ningsih) Victoria, BC; six grandchildren
Jason Rhinelander, Lila Rhinelander (Kyle Lennie), Leta Scott (Jason
Marchand) Michael Scott (Elizabeth) , Alexander Neilson and Allianna
Neilson; also 6 great grandchildren; his sister Patricia Niblett and
her family of Nova Scotia; his sister in law Valerie Whyte (Kerry
Babcock), Fredericton; his nieces Olivia and Lauren Babcock; the
mother of his daughters Betty Ponder. He was predeceased by a son
Gregory.
Murray graduated from
UNB in 1953 with a Bachelor of Forestry. He received the city of
Fredericton Gold Medal for highest standing in the Forestry class.
While at UNB he was on two varsity teams: boxing and cross country. He
participated in many intramural sports. Murray went on to the
University of Minnesota for his Master’s degree as well as
his PHD in insect pathology. He is the author of many research
publications about insect pathology and attended and presented at many
conferences in the world. The focus of his research was spruce bud
worm in eastern Canada. , Dr. Neilson started as a research officer
with the Maritime Forest Research Centre. (MFRC). He then became a
program manager and in 1977 was appointed the Director General of
MFRC.
In 1985 he chose to take
early retirement so he could work on his property in Island View.
Every tree, shrub and bush on the property was planted by Murray. His
vegetable garden was huge and he produced prize winning crops and
flowers. He received many ribbons at the annual Agricultural
Exhibition in Fredericton for vegetables, flowers and his famous
raspberry jelly. He grew gourds and made them into bird houses and
other decorations for his and Heather’s home. He also made
wine and beer from scratch and would grow or pick the fruits in the
wild, with which he made his famous « Chateau Mur » wine.
There were few days that he did not enjoy a glass of wine or two late
afternoon.
Murray had many hobbies
besides growing food. He loved to hunt and was a passionate fly
fisherman. He spent countless hours on the Saint John River fishing
for salmon. He hunted ducks, geese, partridge, deer and moose. The
freezer was always full. He and Eric had many lively hunting trips to
the Canaan River. He was also passionate about tying flies for
fishing. He spent hours working on his masterpieces and then delighted
in teaching others to tie as well as using the creations to hook
salmon.
Murray was an avid and
accomplished skier both downhill and cross country. He was
instrumental in the establishment of Crabbe Mountain, spending
countless volunteer hours cutting trees and clearing brush for both
the downhill and cross country trails. The trail
« Greg’s Way » is named after his son. He and his
ski buddies spent many hours in the Chic Choc Mountains. Recently, his
ski buddies honoured him by naming a trail after him on Bill
Holland’s property in Keswick Ridge. Murray volunteered with
the Crabbe Mtn ski racing club during Linda’s racing years
and then for Eric. He also volunteered with the FHS Football Club
while Eric played and Meals on Wheels. Another passion was sailing.
Murray and Heather competed in many successful sail boat races
competing in the North American 505 Championship on Lake
Ontario.
At Murray’s
request there will be a celebration of his life at a later
date.
Heather would like to
thank the many people who helped her with Murray’s care over
the last number of years including, Trish Robertson, Sean Keyes, Sue
Sansom, Al Cummings, Don Fowler, the staff at Hospice Day Program,
Randy Geneau, Yvon Thibault , his children and family members, plus
many other friends. A special thank you to his gifted care giver Holly
Walker who was devoted to Murray for the last year and a
half.
For those who wish, donations can
be made to Hospice Fredericton or to the Marray/Heather Neilson
Scholarship at UNB, or to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Online condolences may be made at www.mcadamsfh.com
www.mcadamsfh.com
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Dr Murray Morris Neilson 19302019..
Décès pour la Ville: Fredericton, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick