By Emily Stonehouse
Over the decades, many things have changed in the newspaper world. Canadian Press standards, new words, outdated language. The methods with which we type and copy and paste have evolved and shifted.
But there is one thing that myself and all the editors of the Haliburton Echo and the Minden Times from the past 50 years have in common: Murray Fearrey is one of the names we have written the most.
His name has been typed on keyboards and typewriters, whispered into recorders and saved on Zoom calls. Scribbled from pen to paper, quoted in ink and indentations.
Because while we’ve changed, there has been one steady force through the years.
Murray Fearrey dedicated his life to the community. And while it’s no secret that we didn’t always see eye to eye on all topics and conversations, we had a mutual respect for one another over the years. I believe that to be the sign of a professional, on both parts.
He was a person that falls into the category of ‘they just don’t make them like that anymore.’ Quiet and patient, level-headed and smart.
While his pace for decision making slowed near the end, it never came to a stop. He did something many of us should learn from: he asked questions, he looked at all angles, he took his time before doing anything rash, he saw all sides of the story.
In an era where politics and power comes fast and furious, Murray was a steady force. He didn’t feel the need for flashiness or prose. He thought about the community on a bigger stage, first and foremost, near and far.
Of course I watched his last two council meetings. His presence popping in and out of the Zoom calls. And while he seemed to be slowing down, he was actively present. He showed up. Literally right to the end. A strange week as a writer; noting his contributions during a council meeting one day, writing his obituary article the next.
But I couldn’t see him doing life any other way. He quite literally committed his entire life to local government, to community politics, to decisions that impact the next generation. Right to his very last day.
As I watched him on the call, I made a note to call him next week. Because while I have written his name countless times in articles on a weekly basis for years, I had never truly sat down and heard his story. The life of a man who never left home.
The note was bookmarked at the top of my story ideas for the following week. By Thursday, I received a notice that he had passed. Less than one day after his last council meeting.
I should have taken a page from Murray’s own outlook on life. Should have asked questions, should have looked at all the angles.
It’s too late now, and I kick myself for that. But watching the community respond to the death of an individual who led our charge for decades has reminded me that we’re not all so different after all. While power and politics come fast and furious, at the end of the day, they’re not nobodies, they’re neighbours, not figureheads, they’re friends.
And while there have been many changes over the years, a steady force can go a long way.
From the team at the Haliburton Echo and the Minden Times, we send our condolences to the team at Dysart and the family and friends of Murray Fearrey.
Thank you for letting us have a role in his story.
