MORROW, Charles Wesley - (March 8, 1934 - January 15, 2018) - Respected Ottawa journalist and communicator Charles Wesley Morrow passed away peacefully at the age of 83 after a brief illness.
The youngest of five siblings born in Toronto to David Morrow and Margaret Thompson of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Charles lived a life of untiring civic engagement.
He began his career in journalism as a 17-year-old copyboy at The Canadian Press, and worked his way up to join the Press Gallery as Parliamentary Bureau Chief for Broadcast News. In 1966 he married Bronx, N.Y., native Sally Murphy. The couple was posted to Geneva where Charles was regional information chief for the Department of Manpower and Immigration. Charles was part of the effort to provide safe passage to Canada for Czech refugees in 1968.
The family returned to Ottawa in 1969, and in 1972, Charles joined the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), where he worked more than 20 years. On secondment from CIDA from 1978-81, Charles served as Director of Information for the World Health Organisation (WHO).
In recent years, Charles was active with the Canadian National Committee for UNIFEM and the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom, which on January 13th, 2018 honoured him with the Spencer Moore Award for Lifetime Achievement.
An avid sailor, paddler, hiker and skier, Charles was a longtime member of the Youth Hosteling Association, Alpine Club of Canada, Skyline Hikers, and Camp Fortune Ski Club. He spent two years devoted to the care of his dear wife Sally, who died in 2016. In his final year, he returned to a beloved landscape, climbing the Lakeland fells one last time.
Charles and Sally will live in the memory of daughters Jennifer, Katherine and Teresa, grandchildren Clara Morrow-Coffrant and Sacha Cook.
A memorial gathering will be held February 18th at Beechwood Funeral, Cemetery and Cremation Services, 280 Beechwood Avenue, Ottawa, between 2 and 5 p.m. (tributes at 3 p.m.)
Donations to Farm Radio International: http://www.farmradio.org/donate/.