Myron Neville 1948 - 2017
A few days ago Myron Neville passed away. Although he may not be a household name amongst those who follow track and running in the province of BC, Myron was a tireless worker for the running community and during a long career of service he contributed countless hours to the sport that we love.
Myron for many years has been the coach of the Dearfoot Runners a club that he founded in Abbotsford so many years ago. It was a club that survived because of his dedication and that of his wife, Dorothy, and it provided a distinct and valuable service to the community of Abbotsford and the BC running community as a whole.
In his youthful days, Myron was a very good high school runner who represented Semiahmoo Secondary School and several mainland clubs. Myron turned in a number of excellent times for his era (1960’s) and went so far as to set a Fraser Valley High School record for the two-mile run. Myron continued his running career while attending UBC and SFU as well as Naropa University of the Arts in Colorado.
Myron’s persona was a mixture of intellectualism and idealism combined with a dash of pragmatism. He believed in the sort of running and saw it as a discipline that could mold a person’s being. Throughout his life he dedicated his coaching talents to the promotion of running at both the recreational and competitive levels. An author, philosopher, contributor, instructor of Tai Chi Chuan and a person with deep feeling about the sport we love, with the passing of Myron Neville we have lost an individual who made many positive contributions to the development of our sport.
Gerry Swan
September 28, 2017