Obituary of Josephine McMurray
Diana Josephine Begley McMurray completed her final marathon Monday, July 28, 2025 at Innisfree House in Kitchener. It was a short but gruelling course supported by her loving family through the finish line.
Josephine was born in Pukekohe, New Zealand on June 16, 1958. While distinguishing herself as a competitive athlete in tennis, field hockey, track and field and gymnastics she still found time to get into mischief with friends, bunnyhopping and skinnydipping around the North Island. A chance Rotary exchange brought her to Cambridge, Ontario at age 16. Her sense of adventure and the lure of Maplewood Farms in Puslinch led Josephine to lay down roots in Canada.
Her original career path began as a radiographer in different institutions around Waterloo-Wellington. Josephine moved on to the University of Guelph, working at the Ontario Veterinary College and as Director of Student Health Services. She then became the Marketing Manager for a Heinz subsidiary pet food company.
Her career trajectory pivoted when Josephine first achieved her MBA (2003) at Wilfrid Laurier, and then completed a PhD (2013) in Health Studies and Gerontology at the University of Waterloo. She proudly joined Wilfrid Laurier University’s School of Business and Economics as a professor in the Business Technology Management program.
Throughout her 13 years at Laurier, Josephine set herself apart in her teaching, research and service to the community. She was a popular professor known for both her rigour and compassion, acknowledged by her receipt of a Morgenson Award for Teaching Excellence in 2019. She proudly served as the lead for the case@BTM competition team. Josephine’s research focussed on the intersection of technology, health and aging and received over 40 million dollars in funding support throughout her career. Most recently she served as the Associate Scientific Director of AGE-WELL, a national Centre of Excellence hosting innovative research on technology and aging. She carried her expertise and passion into the local community serving on the boards of Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Grand River Hospital and Hospice Waterloo Region.
As news of Josephine’s illness spread, colleagues from all different facets of her working life reached out to share what she has meant to them. Themes among their stories included gratitude for her invaluable mentorship, awe at her ceaseless energy for work that made people’s lives better, and- owing to her inability to accept praise- promises to pay her profound impact forward indefinitely.
Josephine’s greatest fan club includes her husband David McMurray, her children Amy Robinson (Alex Allin), Daniel Robinson (Susie) and Samuel Robinson (Judith Brunton), 6 adoring grandchildren, Eris, Darwyn, Declan, Eleanor, Earnest and Shepherd and of course, Kit. She is also missed by siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews in Australia and New Zealand. They are heartbroken, but will set off together on new adventures with her spirit.
She was fiercely devoted to many causes, particularly those that fought inequity and fostered social justice. Donations would be gratefully encouraged to The Working Centre, OVC Pet Trust, Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region, Egale Canada, Innisfree House, Equal Voice Foundation or your favourite worthy organization, and may be arranged through www.erbgood.com.
Details of a celebration of Josephine’s life will be shared in the coming weeks.
Finally, Josephine would undoubtedly instruct all who read this to pay your taxes happily, fight like hell to protect universal health care, call your mother, squeeze your babies (fur ones included) and above all, be a good citizen.