Friday, September 18, 2009
It is a sad day indeed to see the passing of yet another Carbonear icon in the person of Mr. Murry Tilley. Murry and his lovely wife Jane were fixtures on the Carbonear waterfront as buisness people and true friends of the community for decades. As a young man growing up in Carbonear I had the honour and privledge to have known Murry Tilley. Through their business endeavours on Water Street you could always get a plate of chips, a game of pool or a pack of smokes at Tilleys Snack Bar. On the hardest days in the winter with the cold & snow you could always go to Tilleys to get in out of the weather and warm yourself up. Things were different in those days. The Tilley's extended their warmth and friendship in many ways. I would like to have a nickel for all the times I got something at Tilleys then asked sheepishly for them to "mark it down". Murry would should shoot me a quick glare then say " All right my Son, go get your stuff but be in all the earlier on Monday to square up"! It didn't matter if it was the middle of the night if you needed a "drop of gas" you could call Murry. He'd turn on the lights, open the shop and come out grumbling and mumbling but he would never turn you away! As I grew older I came to know that Murry's grumblings were mostly for show as he had a heart as big and kind as anyone's when it came to doing a favour! One of Murry's great passions was watching hockey and in particular the Toronto Maple Leafs. I last saw him about 3 years ago and the talk came around to the Leafs. He said to me " Do you think my Son the Leafs will ever win the Cup again in my life time".? I said "Murry, I don't think the Leafs will win the Cup again in my lifetime (I'm 50) let alone yours!". With that the two of us let out the biggest laugh and he said "Yes, you're probably right on that but we can always hope". I have nothing but the fondest memories of Mr. Murry Tilley and I could go on for hours and hours with stories and anecdotes. He was truly an icon and a character in the town of Carbonear. My deepest sympathies go out to Mr. Tilleys family and friends at this time of his passing. Gary Saunders Hfx, NS
