April 4, 1958 – June 23, 2021
It is with love and gratitude that I write this long-overdue tribute to my best friend, Murray Bertrand.
I am so very blessed to have loved and been loved by this man for 12 years. I miss you every day and I am so grateful for all that you taught me, shared with me and for all that we went through together. I think about all our camping and fishing adventures, our silly times, our trips, the birth of Aven, and so much more. We had our challenges, but it never diminished how we felt. We always said we had each other’s backs no matter what. That remains true and why I am writing this now.
Murray loved his family. His Mom’s cabbage rolls, breakfast out with the boys, his sisters – Pit, Sambo and Porkchop – always helping in the best way they knew how. Visits from uncle Bones were looked forward to. He cherished his aunts and uncles and he was proud of his niece and nephews.
Murray also loved his friends. He still kept in touch with buddies from Saskatoon. Whether he was golfing with a friend, or sitting around with one of his buddies, his friends would agree that he was always fun to be around. No conversation got too deep; it was a lot of back-and-forth banter. Murray made friends wherever he went. He was often the life of the party, although he’d never like admit to it. He was secure in who he was; he didn’t care what people thought about him, and he remained humble and respectful.
Some locals may remember Murray as the driver of Car 35, or as their boss at the Vernon Lodge, or even their HR rep at the casino. Several times I witnessed Murray being approached by someone from the past and told how much of a positive impact he had on their lives.
Some of the fondest memories that he shared with me were of skiing with his daughter when she was little, fishing adventures with his Dad and many others, and the time we camped when the forecast warned us not to. Murray always prided himself on being self-sufficient and ready to survive any storm. He carried full rain gear in his truck, but on the one occasion he needed it, and when he was miles from nowhere, he opened the bag and saw that the much-needed rain gear had severely disintegrated.
Murray loved being in nature. We would sit for hours in his old aluminum boat catching nothing and having the very best time. It is those peace-filled times that we talked deeply about life, family, loved ones who had passed and the after-life. Murray was not afraid to go. He already knew the beauty that was beyond. Near the end of his life, Murray faced some of his hardest challenges, and he tried his best to overcome them, but it was just too hard. Murray walked through a beautiful tunnel of light to meet those who had passed on before him. He is happy and at peace. For that, and for the signs he sends me, I am so grateful.
Lee, and little Aven Obituary-