GODERICH – The community of Goderich is in mourning after the sudden death of Mayor Myles Murdock, who died at the age of 73.
“He was the best,” said Deputy Mayor Trevor Bazinet. “I loved him, and I’m going to miss him dearly.”
Murdock became a staple in the Goderich community throughout his life as a volunteer and a member of council, having served two terms as a councilor and one term as deputy mayor. After the sudden death of former Goderich mayor John Grace following a traffic boating accident in August 2022, Murdock stepped into the role and was then elected mayor in the October 2022 election.
Bazinet said the community is in “shock and disbelief” following Murdock’s death.
“It’s hard to put into words,” said Bazinet. “It’s a very sad time. This is a huge loss for our community. Myles meant a lot to the community and to a lot of people, including myself.”
Murdock, who worked as an educator, taught Bazinet during the deputy mayor’s high school years and was also his basketball coach. That dynamic relationship continued to carry on throughout their time on council together.
“He was a mentor to me,” said Bazinet. “Being the deputy mayor, while he was mayor, he involved me in everything. It was great to work with him for the past nine years on council.”
Murdock was diagnosed with stomach cancer in January, and Bazinet said he’d gone through treatment since then, having just finished radiation therapy. However, he said Murdock was recently admitted into hospital care after being diagnosed with pneumonia shortly before his death.
“You wouldn’t know by seeing him,” said Bazinet. “If you were to bump into him on the street, you’d have had no clue.”
Bazinet described Murdock as “very outgoing and fun-loving,” and as someone who loved to talk to people.
“If I was walking around the Square with Myles, it would probably take us a couple of hours to get around it once,” said Bazinet. “If he saw someone he knew, or even if he saw someone he didn’t know, he would at least stop and say ‘hello’ to them.”
Murdock is survived by his wife, Cathy, and daughter, Alecia.