Dr. Murray Morris Neilson
1930-2019
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.
Please join Heather and Family as
we celebrate Murray’s life on Thursday, August 1, 2019 from 4 – 6 pm
at Student Union Building on the UNB campus. All are
welcomed.
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 Key, 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 Murray/Heather Neilson
Scholarship at UNB, or to the charity of the donor’s
choice.
www.mcadamsfh.com
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Dr Murray Morris Neilson 19302019..
Death notice for the town of: Fredericton, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick