Judge Garth Moore, one of Meaford’s most respected residents, passed away peacefully at his family farm on April 11.

Judge Moore was at home and surrounded by his large family when he passed away a few weeks ago. He was 86 years old. He left behind his wife Nancy and his seven children John, Megan, Heather, Garth, Bronwen, Michael and Calay and 16 grandchildren.

The Moore family name is very prominent in the history of Meaford. The family has been involved in the community since the late 1840s.

Judge Moore was born in Toronto in 1921. His father Frank was born in Meaford and Garth spent summers here as a youth. After starting a family of his own many weekends were spent at the Moore Farm in Meaford. Judge Moore brought his family to Meaford permanently in 1986.

In 1960 Garth Moore became the youngest man – at that point – to be appointed a federal court judge in Canada. He was the first judge to have his swearing in ceremony televised from Osgoode Hall in Toronto.

The Moore family has a special connection with Meaford. The Moore farm has been owned by the family since the 1840s. The land that is now Memorial Park was once part of the property before the family gave it to the town. It was the Moore family that hosted Beautiful Joe author Marshall Saunders, when she encountered the famous mutt that inspired her novel that sold millions of copies around the world.

“Our roots run deep in this community,” daughter Megan Moore told The Express Saturday morning. “Dad would tell us stories of growing up and they were always about Meaford,” she said.

The family’s love for Meaford has continued unabated. Moore’s family of seven children and 16 grandchildren still gather at the farm on many weekends.

“Dad was always interested in local politics and what was happening in Meaford. He read The Express every week,” said son Michael.

After partially retiring, Judge Moore continued to serve on the bench and would split time between serving locally in Owen Sound and far away in Whitehorse of the Northwest Territories.

“He was very well respected as a judge and a lot of his sensibilities came from his roots and understanding of this community,” his son Garth said. “You couldn’t find a lawyer trained in Ontario since 1970 that wouldn’t have studied one of his cases in school,” he added.

Wife Nancy explained to The Express that her husband was very proud of his service to the country and the law.

“He loved the law. He always knew what he was going to do in life and he did it very well,” she said. “He always felt he was fortunate to be able to do what he always wanted to do. He did it to the best of his ability and he was very respected,” said Nancy.

In Meaford, Judge Moore found the perfect place for recreation, raising a family and community spirit. He loved to ski and skied at Blue Mountain when the resort was in its infancy decades ago.

He continued skiing throughout his life and only stopped in 2005. He played squash, piano and tennis.

“My Dad was devoted to both is profession and his family. He managed both very gracefully,” said daughter Megan. “He was always here. He was always with us for our various activities even though he had a very active work life,” she said.