The community has lost two really great friends recently, as first Rev. John Ferrier passed away recently, and then we just received word that Rev. Ross McMurtry has died at the age of 92 years.
They were great friends with each other, and to many, many people in the community, so there will be many who will be missing both of them.
I didn’t know Ross as a pastor, as he retired before we came to Weyburn, but I got to know him through the long fundraising campaign for the Tommy Douglas statue, which resulted in the unveiling with Douglas’s famous grandson, actor Kiefer Sutherland, along with the sculptor Lea Vivot and too many dignitaries to note.
Following that, Ross put together a book of several of his best memories from the places he’s served over the years, and then he headed up a second statue committee, this time for the Pioneer Woman statue that’s now located by the Leisure Centre, facing the intersection of Fifth Street and First Avenue.
Through the campaigns to raise interest as well as funds for the statues, and to talk about his book, he was always great to talk to, with lots of stories and memories to share, and opinions on a wide range of issues and events.
In regard to the Tommy Douglas statue, he was very passionate about this project, and took pains to point out, the statue was not in any way a political thing, even though Douglas was a CCF premier and MP for the NDP in Ottawa.
The statue was more about him as a humanitarian, and about the fact he was voted, in a national televised campaign, as “The Greatest Canadian”, and the statue helped to celebrate that fact, noting his contributions to the history of Canada. His passion for the Pioneer Woman statue was also very evident, as he wanted to make sure these women were properly recognized.
With John as well, there was always lots of stories and laughs, and he always had time for other people, whether it was at the Legion, at a Remembrance service at one of the schools, or while intermixing with the Fire Department for one of their events. If you’ve ever been to a Decoration Day service at Hillcrest Cemetery or a Remembrance Day service by the cenotaph, you will remember his great booming voice as he called to memory the sacrifice of veterans on our behalf during times of war.
Now, with both of these men, there was much, much more to their lives and accomplishments and contributions to the community of Weyburn than what I can possibly say here.
Suffice it to say, they impacted on the lives of so many families and individuals in this community and in others, they will be greatly missed.
