OBITUARY: Scarborough Jogger Earl Munro remembered by many.
Earl Munro, known to many as the Scarborough Jogger, passed away June 27. For 40 years he ran the streets of Scaborough, becoming a familiar sight to many.
Photo/SUBMITTED
For more than 40 years Earl Munro ran the streets of Scarborough, watching his home changing year after year.
He became a familiar sight to many as he jogged by wearing his uniform of cut-off blue jeans, knee-high socks, a cut-off sweater and an oversized Walkman. It was the same, regardless of the weather.
About a year ago, Munro, known to many as the Scarborough Jogger, had to move his three-times-a-week jogs indoors to a treadmill, but he still kept it up even after turning 74.
It was unexpected when on June 27, Munro died.
"It was really a surprise when he passed away because his heart was so strong," said Lurlene Anderson, one of Munro's stepchildren.
Anderson said he was dedicated to living a healthy life, which included jogging, lifting weights and eating a balanced diet.
On his longest runs he would make his way north from his home at Warden and Sheppard avenues to Finch or Steeles where he would run east, sometimes as far as Morningside Avenue, and then head home along Sheppard or Ellesmere. Anderson said he never stopped to chat with anyone though he would offer a wave as he became a familiar sight to many.
"So many people knew him or knew of him," she said.
She recalled being told by a friend when she was younger that they saw him along Finch Avenue and Birchmount Road while later that day another friend told her they'd seen him at Morningside Avenue and Ellesmere Road.
He usually ran alone, but not for lack of trying.
"I tried (to jog with him), but I couldn't keep up with him," Anderson said. "He left me at two blocks."
Munro was serious about his running, keeping track of his distances and times, as well as how he felt after each session.
He enjoyed being outside in the air and missed running outside once the elements combined with his age forced him inside to a treadmill.
"He would talk about how much Scarborough had changed over the years," Anderson said.
Not just an athlete, Anderson said Munro was also a talented artist who drew, welded and did woodworking. He was a generous man who spoiled his four stepchildren, treating them as his own.
His family, including Trevor Anderson, Doug Ward and Larissa Ward, held a celebration of his life in Scarborough on Friday, July 2.