It was not hyperbole when Jamie Swift, in an excellent Globe and Mail tribute, referred to Murray Thomson as the “dean of the Canadian peace movement.” Murray passed away earlier this month in Ottawa at the age of 96.

For many years WFM – Canada’s national office was in a building (“the Spruce Street peace ghetto”) that included a number of peace organizations, including Peacefund Canada, a fundraising foundation to support peace work which Murray started and ran for nearly 20 years before it merged with Peace Brigades International in 2006.

Murray was always generous with his time, advice, friendship and wonderful, irrepressible sense of humour. He was open-minded, open-hearted, yet persistent and determined, actively working for peace — literally until his dying days. A wonderfully nice guy, Murray had many many friends, who miss him now but count themselves lucky to have known him.

— Fergus Watt