SERVICES WERE held Nov. 22 for Murdoch (Doch) Robertson who passed away Nov. 18 at the age of 86.
A lawyer, Robertson practised law in Terrace for nearly 50 years.
Robertson obtained his law degree while attending university in Vancouver and came up to northwestern B.C. to live in Prince Rupert where he articled with the firm of Brown and Harvey.
He met his future wife Marion who was also attending school in Vancouver and they were married on Nov. 3, 1951 in Nanaimo. The Robertsons had three children, Fiona, Jarvis and Geoffrey. They have three grandchildren.
They had just celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary this past Nov. 3.
After living and working in Prince Rupert, Robertson’s law firm advised him to move to Smithers and that’s what he and Marion did.
A law school classmate, Lawrence Perry, had served the town as its sole lawyer for some years.
Doch and Marion enjoyed Smithers very much, liked the people and found lots of things to do.
Early in 1957, they decided to leave Smithers and move to Terrace because a collapse in the wood industry there affected Robertson’s ability to make a living.
They thought Terrace would prove to have more activity and after coming to take a look, decided to move here.
The town was booming and rental accommodation was at a premium in the late 1950s.
They managed to find an apartment on Davis Avenue, near MacKay’s Funeral Home, which was in a great deal less then ideal condition.
A move to an Agar Ave. house followed.
Robertson opened his law firm Murdoch Robertson, Barrister, in the Dave’s Plumbing and Heating building on Lakelse Avenue and Marion helped in the office.
Both quickly became involved in the community through service clubs and the Anglican church.
Robertson was Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese in the north for 23 years and commenting on the Rotarian Club he says, “I put a lot into Rotary and Rotary put a lot into me.”
Doch was instrumental in starting up what he fondly recalls as TPA, short for Trans Provincial Airlines.
His dreams for this airline never reached fruition.
“What you want to do and what you do are so greatly separated,” he said of the airline experience.
Marion and Doch both loved art and become known for their collection.
Robertson credited his mother for his outlook on life.
After practising law in for almost 50 years, Doch retired.
He and Marion decided to stay in Terrace and both have been living at Terraceview Lodge in recent years.
Robertson subsequently wrote and then published his legal experience in the north in “A Touch of Murder ... Now and Then.”
The book was published in 1999.