Obituary of The Very Reverend Sharon Elizabeth Murdoch
The Very Reverend Sharon Elizabeth Murdoch
On the evening of August 29th, 2021 Sharon passed away peacefully at Providence Care Hospital after a long battle with Multiple System Atrophy. She leaves her father Bill (Zoe) and brother Neil (Gisele) as well as her niece Caroline and her nephews Jamie and David. She was predeceased by her mother Betty. Sharon was born in Scarborough Ontario and moved to Kingston when she was 10 years old (after a brief interlude attending a 2-room school house in Godfrey). She was a proud bagpiper with the Rob Roy Pipe Band and playing the pipes was a fixture of her life going forward. Her rendition of Amazing Grace was often requested at funerals.
Sharon graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and teaching degree from Laval University where she perfected her French and Spanish skills. After a period of teaching French in Kingston, she answered her true calling to the Ministry. Upon graduating from Wycliffe College with a Masters of Divinity, she was ordained in September 1992 in the Diocese of Moosonee, having fallen in love with the North during a visit to the Diocese in 1986. She travelled throughout the Diocese, formally serving the parishes of Geraldton, Jellicoe, Longlac, Nakina, Collins, Ogoki Post,Val-d'Or, Rouyn-Noranda, Chapleau, Foleyet, Cochrane and Timmins. In 2007 Canon Sharon was appointed rector of St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Timmins, Ont. and dean of the diocese, which includes northern Ontario and part of Quebec.
Sharon had a beautiful personality and warmed the hearts of all who knew her. She loved her time in the Diocese, celebrating its incredible diversity in language and culture and the varied ways in which God has worked through the very different parishes. She was humbled by the faith of people she met and inspired by the creativity and hard work of northern Anglicans. Sharon was a strong leader who freely shared her gifts of leadership and compassion. The youth in her ministry came to her for advice and she really listened which often meant they sorted out their problems on their own just by talking to her.
Sharon was an avid traveller. She was particularly proud of having completed the pilgrimage of Camino de Santiago. She was renowned for her ability to strike up meaningful conversations with almost anybody. Her photo albums are full of pictures of people she ‘met along the way’, sharing moments and living life her way. She also loved the outdoors and was always excited to put her boots on in the winter.
In her later years, as MSA took its toll, Sharon’s faith sustained her through all that faced her. The support and visits from so many for so long was the true evidence of the seeds of friendship and faith that she had sown.
Our dear Sharon will be remembered; please continue to hold her in your heart. May she rest in peace, beloved of God.
Family and friends will be received at the Cathedral Church of St. George (270 King St. E., Kingston) on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, from 10:00 am – 11:15 am, followed by a funeral service celebrating her life at 11:30 am. Internment will be held at Cataraqui Cemetery. Due to Covid limitations, all of those attending the funeral must RSVP by calling the James Reid Funeral Home at 613-544-3411 or using the RSVP just below this death notice in the service details. All Covid protocols will be observed by all attending. For those who wish, donations in Sharon’s memory may be made to the charity of your choice.
For those who cannot attend the service in person you can watch a livestream of the ceremony by clinking on this link: SERVICE LINK
