A Life of Thanks—Stuart Ledlie Munro

A Life of Thanks

Stuart Ledlie Munro

ears ago, in the Last Herald Road Race in Calgary, Alberta, Stu’s competitor remarked that if he wouldn’t have happened to glance back and see Stu, he wouldn’t have won the race. Stu is always keeping others on their toes. Born on November 17, 1929, he has seen so many changes, experienced so much in his lifetime and is alive and well to share his stories.

Stu grew up in a loving family with two other brothers. His mother was Methodist and instilled religion in their lives. Stu recalls that she was a hardworking woman. He remembers that when the boys would fight, she would simply tell them that she was going for a walk. That’s how she handled the situation. Stu’s father passed away in his 50’s and so his mother managed the home. He revealed that he was a quiet child and didn’t get into too much mischief.

Even though Stu was small for his age that did not deter him from competing athletically and scholastically. He played baseball, basketball and hockey and has many fond memories of friends he made through sport. Stu is also very knowledgeable about many subjects and even though he found university challenging, he realizes the value of hard work.

From his job as a pharmacist, to becoming a United Church minister, Stu always thanks God for the rewarding things in life and knows that the benefits of having God in your life are important. He met his wife, Helen when he was a student minister in a small town. His mother-in-law was a good cook and he liked being invited for dinner. He was also an excellent dancer and enjoyed the weekend dances.

He and Helen had three daughters. The middle daughter, Sue, now takes care of him in her home and he values her organization and care. The pandemic did affect the two of them, but they got their shots and if they ask him at his triweekly kidney dialy-

Ysis appointments, he will get the third one. He doesn’t care to get sick with the Delta variant. Raising the daughters was relatively easy for Stu. He worked on oil changes in the driveway and his wife was in charge of the girls. A few of their trips to California were interesting. Stu recalls one time when they drove all night through the Nevada desert. The next morning, the gas attendant told them that was an excellent choice if they didn’t have air conditioning. Their Ford Fairlane got them to where they needed to go and they only had to change out one tire. Stu’s advice to his grandsons or the younger generation would be “Don’t be too proud. Life can turn around pretty quick.” Even though he has lost many friends and has almost lived a decade, Stu is still living each day in gratitude. He believes that God only asked one thing of him and that was to be thankful for everything and he lets God know that every day.