Berenice Winnifred Murray

Berenice Winnifred Murray, 90, of Whitby, passed away on February 17th, 2024 from natural causes.Berenice was born on February 26, 1933 to Douglas and Winnifred Bruce in Toronto. When she was 13 the family moved to Kingston, Ontario where she finished high school at KCVI and began a career in banking as a teller. It was there she met the man who used to shoot elastics at her legs for attention, which he got when she and William John Murray were married on October 11, 1952 at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian in Kingston. In 1955, Bernice and Bill moved to East York, Ontario and went on to have a daughter, Dianne Elizabeth. Berenice enjoyed a long and rewarding career with the CIBC, where she managed the start up of the Chargex department until her retirement, although she would continue helping out for several years thereafter. These are the facts of moms life, but they hardly capture that life in its entirety. It is a struggle to know what to say about our parents in moments like these for we are only ever given glimpses into their lives and we always do so from the perspective of having been their children. I can speak to you about her love for food and drink, for conversation and for travel; about her love of movies and music, particularly Frank Sinatra. I can talk about how much she loved her family and about the joy she took in her grandson and great-granddaughter and the wonderful years spent traveling, dining and spending time with them at the cottage. Still, I can say little of Bernice the girl, the teenager, or the young woman. For that, I take solace in the memories of those who knew my mother. It is all too easy to limit our memory of a person to the singular image we form of them, too easy indeed to let one part of their life stand in for the whole. It is in the spirit of celebrating all of my mother’s life, then, that I look forward to yet more memories, more stories, and more glimpses into the whole of Bernice’s life that we invite you to share at the link below. Berenice was predeceased by her husband William (2004), brother Robert Bruce (1980), and is survived by her daughter Dianne Gignac, grandson Richard Gignac, great granddaughter Nathalie, nieces Elizabeth Campbell, Mary Catherine Mills, LaurieAnn Murray and nephews Jim Murray and David Mills. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Humane Society of Durham Region, because mom always loved animals

Berenice Winnifred Murray

February 17, 2024