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Vancouver Canada Telephone Collector Grant Munro

Started by AE_Collector, March 04, 2017, 11:35:50 PM

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AE_Collector

My very good telephone collector friend Grant Munro passed away on February 14, 2017. Grant had been fighting cancer for awhile but thought he had it beat. He was only 73 years old.

I first met Grant close to 40 years ago but I cant recall how exactly. We both worked for the BC Telephone Company though in different departments and never really crossed paths at work. I suspect that someone I worked with in my early years with the company told me that if I was into old phones I HAD to see Grant Munro's collection. So I looked him up and went to visit him and his telephone collection.

I had a small collection at that time, probably just a few dozen phones. It was at a time when all the 3 slot payphones were being removed and replaced with single slot payphones so I was scheming how I could convince one of the installers to lose one of the "take outs" in my direction. Grant had worked in the coin department previously and I was absolutely blown away to walk into his phone display room and see 3 slot payphones covering a whole wall in every single color that AE made. I will never forget that. That day I quickly learned what a phone collection was!

Over the years we remained friends frequently trading phones, parts and pieces or just helping each other out with projects. We went to at least a couple of phone shows together, the Bremerton Show and Bills Tacoma and Seattle shows. Any time I was near Grants neighbourhood with a few minutes to spare I would stop in to see what Grant was working on or just to talk phones with him.

Grant took early retirement in 1996 at only 53 and while he did do some part time work for a few years he also began renting phones and phone booths to the growing Vancouver film business. Before long he stopped the part time work to concentrate on his growing rental business.

http://www.grantstelephoneclassics.com/

Besides being a great friend, Grant was a very generous person. He was always giving me items that I was looking for or giving me a phone worth much more than what I had given him that he needed for a rental. One time he needed two AE 187's for a movie scene than needed something like 16 of them and he was short two. I had several spares so I gave them to him in case he needed them again in the future. He gave me an AE 35 Wall phone in trade for the two 187's. He was always doing things like that or just giving me things that I was looking for because he had them.

Grants Celebration of Life was this afternoon and it quickly became obvious how many friends and acquaintances he had. He was well liked and respected by everyone he came in contact with. Many of Grants collectibles were at the hall and the tables were all decorated with telephone sets.

He was a long time ATCA member, a recent TCI member and while he did check us out here at CRPF I was never able to get him to start posting on the forum. Phone collecting just isn't going to be the same for me without Grant Munro.

Terry

AE_Collector

#1
Here are some more pictures from the celebration this afternoon, the invite to Grants Celebration of Life and the newspaper obituary.

Terry

HarrySmith

Sorry to hear about your loss. My condolences.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

Phonesrfun

I am so sorry to hear about that.  I am fortunate to have had the pleasure to meet him at the Puget Sound area shows.


It is always unsettling to realize just how fragile life is sometimes.  Thank you for sharing the pictures, Terry.



-Bill G

.....

Very sorry to hear of the loss of your friend and fellow collector.

Dennis Markham

Thank you Terry for sharing this very nice tribute to your friend, Grant.  My sincerest condolences to you for the loss of your friend and to all of his family and friends.

~Dennis

Greg G.

Always sad to hear about good people passing on.  My condolences on the loss of your friend and fellow collector.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

DavePEI

Hi Terry:

It looks as though it was a nice tribute to Grant's life. He was an interesting man. I am sorry for not only his family's loss, but also for yours.

"In early July 2005, I had a visit from Grant Munro from British Columbia. Grant, also a telephone collector, runs a business there, "Grant's Telephone Classics" renting telephones, booths, switchboards, and other items for use as movie and stage props. Grant then held the record for visitor from furthest away".

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

Doug Rose

Terry...my condolences. I did not know Grant, but I can see the effect his friendship had on your life.  RIP Grant......Doug
Kidphone

AE_Collector

#9
Thanks everyone. Truly a sad day for the phone collectors in British Columbia, everyone who knew Grant and of course his wife, daughter, son, both of their spouses and Grants Grand Children.

Here are a few pictures I took last June in Grants Phone Workshop.

Terry