May 20, 1930 ~ April 25, 2007
Mom passed away at the age of 76 after a very long and courageous battle with cancer. She never complained and continued to live her life to the fullest by enjoying really simple things like going for breakfast spending the day with her horse.
Born in Armstrong BC, Anne was the youngest of 5, including 2 brothers and 2 sisters.
She is pre-deceased by her father and mother Frederick and Edna Murray, her brothers Bill and Jack Murray in World War II, and her older sister Margaret.Clayton.
The Murray girls were nature-loving characters well known in Armstrong, Salmon Arm and their summer home of Mabel Lake. She is survived by her only daughter Marny Zischka (Peter Zischka) of Yarrow, her sister Janet Ritchie of Salmon Arm, sister-in-law Doris Morton of Courtenay BC, nephews Glen and Bruce Ritchie, Lyle and Murray Clayton and their families, plus many other extended relatives and their families. There are also many other friends and acquaintances that Mom made wherever she went and Opal the cat and Holly the horse will miss their daily treats and spoiling.
She grew up to be the most passionate of animal lovers and was particularly “horse” crazy…often saying “the outside of a horse is good for the inside of man”. She specialized in dressage(was a CEF judge )and later on after the exhilaration of raising our own stakes-winning “Sea biscuit-underdog” by the name of Social Round “Rocky” decided to get her racehorse trainer’s license (at Exhibition Park) & train our own horses. She had many other athletic pursuits that always took backseat to riding like figure skating, skipping her curling team to many wins, and swimming with her sisters at Mable Lake where her father built the “Murray” cabin in 1926 where we still enjoy our summers.
Mom owned and ran Kay-Anne’s ladies wear in Salmon Arm and after many beaus, married the horse “soul-mate” Hank McEwan. They moved to California where dad pursued his horse shoeing career at Cal Poly tech. and Mom pursued dressage under Charles DeKunfy. They lived in California for 15yrs where their only child Marny was born. The family returned to BC and lived in Kelowna many years prior to moving to Aldergrove. Mom was a very active horse-woman in all these communities; teaching, hosting schooling shows and buying & training Hanovarians from Alberta. There was always a special spot in her heart for California and while living in Aldergrove, there were weekly hops across the border to Lynden for gas, hay and dairy.
A few years ago, Mom moved to Yarrow, where she continued to live the simple life in her RV at her daughter’s hobby farm and made many more breakfast and horse buddies. l. She will probably always be know as the spry little horse lady in the blue van with a big heart that loved animals to no end.
In the summer, we will gather in memory of Anne’s life at her daughters, to be announced later in this paper.
We’d like to truly express our deepest thanks to the medical and volunteer staff at the Christine Morrison Hospice in Mission for treating mom with the dignity and care she deserved, and for making it a place where we could come and feel at home and welcomed. Thank you for all the cards, plants and visitors for making her days full. Mom has now gone riding to greener pastures where God will hold her in the hollow of His hand.
If family & friends desire, donations in Anne’s name may be made to any Hospice society, Canadian Cancer Society, Greener Pastures horse society, the SPCA, or the Pacific Riding for the Disabled (PRDA).