Murray Cathcart passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 27, 2023, at home with his family by his side. He is grieved by his wife of 69 years, B. Ruth Cathcart ne Chennells; his four children—Colin, Scott, Jane, and Cameron; his nine grandchildren—Eva, Anna, Emily, Alice, Johnny, Jenna, Maddie, Davis, and Corinne; and seven great-grandchildren—William, Maclaren, Jack, Luna, Alice, and Murray.
Murray was born in Weyburn, Sask. in 1928 to Murray Cathcart, the local pharmacist, and Marjorie Cathcart nee Baird, an accomplished pianist and singer. Called to medicine, he received his MD from U of Alberta in 1953 and embarked on a storied career in family medicine, surgery and psychiatry. Within the medical community, Murray was known for his caring bedside manner, remarkable diagnostic skills, and what his colleagues described as “good hands”.
Murray began his career in a country practice in Frontier, Sask. where he provided a full range of medical services from surgery, to obstetrics, family medicine and even coroner’s inquest. In 1957, he moved his growing family to Vancouver, where he practiced family medicine at St. Vincent’s and Vancouver General Hospital. In 1966, while continuing family practice, he spearheaded the new Department of Surgery at Richmond General Hospital, where he was later vice-chief of staff. Prompted by his interest in the psychological experience of patients, Murray was awarded the Nuffield Travelling Fellowship in 1968 to explore the role of behavioural sciences in the practise of medicine. This led to a year of world travel with his family to major centres of medical study in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Upon return, he was invited to be the head of family medicine at U of T’s St. Michael’s Hospital. He practiced medicine in Toronto until his retirement and held the title of professor emeritus in the faculty of medicine at U of T until his death.
Within these broad strokes of a great career, there were many highlights: he held many offices in the medical profession, most notably as the national president of the College of Family Physicians of Canada from 1979-1980. Well into his career, Murray completed a fellowship in psychiatry at Stanford University in 1984. He also loved to tell stories about his experiences working with the famed Dr. Humphrey Osmond (who coined the term “psychedelic”) as a medical intern in the 1950s while Osmond conducted the earliest medical experiments with LSD, experiments in which Murray was a subject. Finally, he was proud of his work as the co-founder of the Cool Aid street clinic in the late 1960s in Vancouver, where he administered much-needed health care to vulnerable adolescents of the hippie era.
After retiring, Murray shifted his focus to his farm near Wiarton, Ont. where he and Ruth hosted the extended family for summer vacations. He replanted a vast forest and stewarded the sugarbush while developing his artistic prowess in bronze sculpture and furniture craft. With his characteristic cheeky humour, he described the style of his rustic creations as a “chicken-coop revival”. He was an avid tennis fan and player, shared a life of world travel with Ruth, and built an important collection of Canadian antiques.
The other enduring love of Murray’s life was classical music. It was his love for music that brought him together with Ruth, whom he sought after hearing her play violin on the radio and with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. He was known for his generous support of the musical arts, including his patronage of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Bruce Peninsula pianist Kati Gleiser.
Murray Cathcart will be remembered as a man of generosity, humour, and intelligence. He was the consummate family man—a loving husband, father, and grandfather. For his family, he will be remembered always as a great man with a twinkle in his eye, a scampish smile and a joke up his sleeve.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.rosar-morrison.com for the Cathcart family.