James ‘Murray’ Kierans, a retired Ontario lawyer and CPA, passed away in Collingwood, Ontario on March 22, 2021, following a short illness.
Murray was born into a large Canadian-Irish family in Sudbury, Ontario on 21 November 1944.
After graduating from St. Charles College in Sudbury, Murray attended Western University in London, ON where he obtained his BA in 1967. He began his professional career in London with a national accounting firm and obtained his CA in 1970. He then went back to Western Law School, where he was a Dean’s Honour List student, obtaining his LL.B. in 1973. Murray then served for a number of years with the Department of Finance in Ottawa, first as Special Assistant to the Minister of Finance, Rt. Hon. John N. Turner, and then as a Senior Tax Policy Officer in the Tax Policy Branch.
Murray later went into private law practice, specializing in business and tax law as a partner with medium-sized law firms, first in London, ON, then in Toronto. During this period he was active in federal and provincial politics and in 1984 he served as CFO and Official Agent to Mr. Turner in his successful campaign for leadership of the federal Liberal Party.
Commencing in 1985, Murray spent many years abroad, working as a corporate lawyer and then as a business executive.
In 2002, Murray retired from his position as senior vice president of a U.S. venture capital company and returned to Collingwood, where he had been a waterfront cottage owner for many years. Active in sports and community affairs, he served on a number of boards and committees including the Town of Collingwood Sustainability Committee.
Murray is survived by his daughter Jennifer Kierans, her husband Barry Julien and his grandson Sean Julien, all of New York, NY. He is also survived by his longtime close friend and companion, Cate McMullen of Collingwood, ON and by his former wife Joan Kierans of London, ON.
Murray is predeceased by his father Thomas William Kierans, a noted Canadian mining engineer and his mother, Margaret Mary (Mulligan) Kierans. Of his eight siblings, Murray is survived by his sister, Sr. Mae Kierans of North Bay, ON, his brother Tom (MariJo) of Longueuil, PQ, his sister Brenda (Len) Wahlen of Coquitlam, BC, his brother Michael (Dagmar) of Prague, Czech Republic, his sister Kathleen Walker of Vancouver, BC and his brother Paul of Burnaby, BC. He is predeceased by his sister Teresa (James) Spurr and his brother Harry (Silvana).
Cremation has taken place. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Collingwood at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Canadian Sepsis Foundation http://canadiansepsisfoundation.ca/donate in Murray's memory.