DONALD FORBES MURRAY

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DONALD FORBES MURRAY

Donald Forbes Murray passed away unexpectedly at the Royal Alexandra Hospital (Edmonton) on May 18, 2021 at the age of 76 years.
Don is sadly missed by his loving wife Doreen, two daughters, Zana (Kevin), Suzie and son T'ai. Don is also survived by his five grandchildren, Amélie, Elliott, Shambé, Akili and Satya.
Don was born in Russell, Manitoba on May 17, 1945 to Isabel and Forbes Murray. Forbes was an RCMP officer and an ordained minister, which resulted in many moves around small town Manitoba as a child. Don was an avid golfer in his younger years and often enjoyed playing a round at the end of his shift, working at St. Charles Golf and Country Club.
Donald graduated as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse in 1967. He worked as the Comptroller of Ladco & Co. for a number of years following graduation, and another seven years as the CFO of Qualico Developments. He was, for a time, the President of Imperial Securities. Don was an entrepreneur at heart, founding Equion Securities, Forbes Financial and Mississippi Jacks Car Washes. He developed the financial packages necessary to fund the building of five hotels in Western Canada and the USA, and a golf course; these endeavours included the Lodge at Kananaskis - his family's favourite place.
Despite his many accomplishments, his biggest sense of pride was derived from his family. His beloved wife of 54 years, whom he lovingly referred to as "Pudgie", was the love of his life. Don was always a patriarch - dispensing advice and support to his three children until his last breaths. He loved Sunday dinners, never turning down an opportunity to feast and visit. He was robustly proud of his grandchildren, Amélie and Elliott - who lived nearby in Edmonton, where Don ultimately settled.
Don experienced a number of obstacles, including a devastating spinal injury at the age of 29 that resulted in the loss of the use of his legs. Despite this, his life was full of adventures - biking on a custom bike with his family, camping at his favourite places (Caliper Lake and Peter Lougheed Provincial Park), swimming and throwing balls with his kids and then his grandkids. Most every wedding anniversary he would escape with Pudgie to enjoy the mountain views, scootering down the paths, driving down random roads. They would picnic wherever they landed and would take a "snooze" in the car with the sunroof open.

He will be achingly missed.

As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jun 05, 2021