Albert James "Ab" Morton

1914 - 2011  (96 years)

• Name	Albert James "Ab" Morton
  Born	15 Oct 1914	Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2]
  Gender	Male
  FindAGrave	https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/244059340
  Hall of Fame - Cambridge	1997  [1]
  Hall of Fame - Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame	1998  [1]
  Honoured	2003  [1]
  	Galt Collegiate Institute's Stairway of Excellence
  Interesting	sports
  Military	WW2 R.C.A.F
  Name	Ab Morton
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-239160P
  Died	17 Sep 2011	Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 3]
  Buried	Trinity Anglican Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  Person ID	I387429	Generations
  Last Modified	1 Dec 2024

  
  

  Father	Robert Morton,   b. 14 Oct 1865,   d. 4 Feb 1961  (Age 95 years)
  Mother	Maria Jane "Jane" Mathews,   b. 16 Jun 1875,   d. 20 Dec 1953  (Age 78 years)
  Family ID	F278087	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Gladys Stares,   b. 1921,   d. 19 May 2011, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 90 years)
  Married	18 Jul 1942	Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada
  Children	1. Beverley Ellen Morton,   d. Bef 2011
  Last Modified	3 Dec 2024
  Family ID	F262154	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Ab Morton

  
  

• Notes

  ALBERT, James (Ab) Morton The family of Ab Morton is saddened to announce his passing at Fairview Mennonite Home on September 17, 2011, at the age of 96. Predeceased by his loving wife and best friend, Gladys, in May 2011, an infant daughter Beverley Ellen, his parents Robert and Jennie (Maria Jane Matthews) Morton and brother Ernest. He is survived by three children: Robert (Karen) of Everett, Barbara Parker (Gary) of Grand Bend and Patricia Gallant of Cambridge. Also survived by eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, his sister Bessie Pollard, sisters-in-law Helen Jarvie and Connie Hilborn, and many nieces and nephews. Ab was a life time resident of Cambridge since his birth in the old Galt Hospital in 1914 and a member of Trinity Anglican Church where he and Gladys were married in 1942. He was a long time member of the David Durward Centre and one of the founding members of their Woodworking Club, a member of Mill Creek Men's Club for over 50 years, and a long time member of the Cambridge Probus Club. He served with the R.C.A.F. during the Second World War. In his younger years, Ab was an outstanding long distance runner winning many of his events against the best runners in Canada and the United States, including the International Marathon Championship in 1946, and the Canadian Marathon Championship in 1947. He was named one of the top three outstanding athletes in Canada in 1947. The Cambridge Harriers Running Club honoured him in their 1996 Legends Race. Ab was inducted into the Cambridge Hall of Fame in 1997 and the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame in 1998. He was selected as one of the original inductees for the 2003 Galt Collegiate Institute's Stairway of Excellence. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 2: 30 p.m. at Fairview Mennonite Home, 515 Langs Drive, Cambridge, ON. Visitation is from 1: 00 p.m. thru 2: 15 p.m., prior to service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Fairview Mennonite Home, 515 Langs Drive, Cambridge, ON, N3H 5E4, Trinity Anglican Church, Cambridge Harriers Running Club, or a charity of your choice. Funeral Arrangements entrusted to T. Little Funeral Home and Cremation Centre. Waterloo Region Record 17 Sep 2011 _________________________ Morton: a world-class man Dave Menary visited Ab Morton took weeks ago at Fairview Mennonite Home. The two decided to watch the world track and field championship, but couldn't find it on the TV, so they did their usually catching up. Menary recalls that his 96-year-old friend, though bed-ridden, was still sharp as a tack. As he was leaving, Morton became "animated" and reached out for Menary's arms. He held his arms and stared at him for several seconds before shaking his hand goodbye. "I wondered if that was the last time I'd ever see Ab," Menary said. "I suspected the way he grabbed my hand, he suspected the same thing. Nothing was said, but, for me, that was a touching moment." Morton passed away on Saturday at Fairview Mennonite Home. For those who didn't know Morton on a personal level, his accomplishments in running were a Canadian legend. Running with the likes of Cambridge resident Scotty Rankine, who was a world-class athlete himself, Morton reached his peak in the 1940s, despite having the Second World War take away most of his formidable running years. His best year was 1947, when he captured the Canadian marathon championship, beating Rankine and Gérard Côté, a four-time winner of the Boston Marathon. With the title under his belt and having won two of three Olympic qualifying races, Morton was considered a lock for the 1948 Olympic team. Instead, he was strangely left off the team, but told he could go to Montreal and qualify for the team in the 10,000-metre race one day before the team was to depart for London. If he won, he was on the team. He came in second. "That really took the wind out of his sails," Menary said, also noting that Morton was one of the oldest, if not the oldest, runner to win the famed Around the Bay Road Race in Hamilton at age 29. "I think that, more than anything, contributed to the end of his running career." Morton's career culminated in 1997 when he was in the inaugural induction class for the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame. In fact, he attended every induction ceremony after that, including the one this year in May. When his name was called to honour past inductees, and even though he needed the help of a walker, Morton always pushed himself to his feet to wave to the crowd. "The last couple of years, it was harder for him to get out there," Menary said. "But he still came and gave his unconditional support to the idea of the Sports Hall of Fame. He also liked meeting the inductees. He's had his picture taken with Luke Sauder and Rob Ducey." That was the Morton the public knew. But Menary knew him as the man who plucked a baseball Christmas ornament off his own tree for Menary's son after he noticed him admiring it. "The community lost a great ambassador and personally I feel I lost a close friend." That was the same feeling George Aitkin had when learned of Morton's passing. In fact, he found out on a more personal level when he and Art Wilson decided to visit Morton on Sunday after the Terry Fox Run at Riverside Park. Aitkin expected Morton, a big fan of baseball, to be watching the Toronto Blue Jays game on TV. When they showed up, his family was cleaning out his room. Aitkin admitted that he wasn't too surprised. His wife Gladys, whom he been married to for 69 years, died in May and that was a terrible blow, as they'd been together a total of 74 years. "After Gladys passed away, Ab seemed to lose his spark," Aitkin said. "He was quite feeble the last few weeks, but it's nothing to be too sad about. He had a nice long life and was in good health for most of it." Aitkin acknowledged Morton as one of the contributors to starting his running career. As a Grade 8 student at Stewart Avenue Public School, Aitkin's gym teacher Jim Cox would always keep an eye out for good runners at the school and encourage them to participate in Cambridge's Around the Bridges race. The race had struggled in the past and was in threat of folding, but Morton breathed life back into it. "If he hadn't kept it going, I may never have started running." But that wouldn't be the last time Morton was involved in racing apart from being a competitor. In fact, he has been the official starter for the Cambridge Times Rotary Race and was honoured as a legend in the Legends Road Race that was run in town by Aitkin. He also spoke to the Cambridge Harriers a couple of years ago, regaling stories after the club's weekend run. But those talks were never about how great he was. "He was such a gentleman, I had no problem telling the accomplishments of someone so soft spoken, since he wouldn't himself," Aitkin said. Pat Gallant, the youngest of Morton's three children, agreed upon that sentiment. She said her father was never one to brag, but had a great wit and loved telling stories of the past. Most of them involved the crazy prizes that used to be given out at races. One time, Morton took a train to Quebec for a race because he hadn't started driving yet, and won a refrigerator. Worried he wouldn't be able to get on the train with it, he ended up meeting a fellow racer who won a diamond ring. When he the runner about his predicament, the man said his wife actually wanted a new fridge, so they swapped prizes. On another occasion, Morton told his kids that Rankine won a grandfather clock at a race and as he was carrying it around the corner of a building, he knocked over an intoxicated man. The man looked at him from the sidewalk and said, "Why don't you wear a watch like everyone else." Gallant chuckled and said, "I'm not sure if there's any truth in that though." Her fondest memories though consist of fishing with her dad, which was one of his favourite past times. He was in charge of baiting her hook and getting her sister out of snags. "He didn't like taking my sister, she was always catching trees," she said with a laugh. Her parents will always be close to Gallant, as she lives in the home her father built off of Franklin Boulevard. His woodworking hobby enabled him to make some unique, ornate styles in the home. For someone known for running, he could sure use his hands. Though Gladys may have had something to say about that. "My mother always said dad had the best legs in town," Gallant joked. Cambridgetimes.ca 22 Sep 2011

  
  

• Sources

  [S602] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - The Waterloo Region Record (March 2008- ), Obituay of Albert James (Ab) Morton - 17 Sep 2011. [S2858] z Vit - ON - Birth Registration, Birth Certificate 060532 (1914). [S2598] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Cambridge - Trinity Anglican Cemetery Internet Link. MORTON/ [wedding rings] July 18, 1942/ Gladys/ STARES/ 1921-2011/ Albert (Ab)/ James/ 1914 - 2011

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 15 Oct 1914 - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Married - 18 Jul 1942 - Galt (Cambridge), Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 17 Sep 2011 - Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Trinity Anglican Cemetery, Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth