his siblings at a young age, Tom was fortunate to be taken in by his cousin, Charlotte Armstrong. And at 15 he found himself under the tutelage of Armstrong’s husband, Mayo Lenoue, of MT Glass in Ottawa, who taught him the trade.

Tom’s father had previously owned one of the biggest grocery stores in Quyon in the 1950s until he died of a heart attack in the 1960s.

In 1984, with his wife by his side, Tom returned to his home town of Quyon to open his own business, even though most people didn’t think it would be successful and tried to dissuade him from opening a business there.

“I built my business on a handshake, you get to know the people. People of the Pontiac are very honest, when they give you their word, it’s their word,” said Tom.

Tom attributes the success of his business not only to hard work and the good reputation that he built, but also to his wife. “We’ve always been equal business partners. My wife put a lot of herself into the business too. I’ve always believed that behind every good man there is a great woman, and she believed in my dream,” he said with pride.

Leona worked as secretary for the business, did the banking and bookkeeping all while raising their two daughters. “And if anyone would call her with questions, she would always find the answer for them,” he beamed.

With a hint of mischief he added, “Leona was the real boss, I was the pretend boss.”

According to Tom, they have taken pleasure in doing a good job which has proven to be beneficial in establishing their business, getting repeat customers and maintaining the government contracts that they’ve gotten to work on for the past 25 years. “The way I treated each job is as though I was doing it for myself,” said Tom.

Along with building and running an exemplary business, the Murdocks have been big proponents of ‘passing it forward’ in their community.

Tom has been captain of the Quyon Fire Department; was an active member in a church group; director on the Quyon Fair board, was a Lions Club member; has worked on multiple fundraising campaigns in the area, (including raising money for medi-spa beds at the Shawville hospital) and was chairman of the Quyon Santa Claus Parade for several years.

Leona created the Little Hearts Club for local girls, and for more than 15 years she helped to organize a monthly dance, arts and crafts sessions, and other activities including a Santa Claus Village trip for the girls.

The Murdocks sponsored trips such as these by covering bus fees, and have often offered their business services in a variety of ways to show support for local organizations. They supported Quyon schools in various ways, as well as figure skating clubs at the Shawville arena. They also had a hand in organizing the Quyon Christmas Craft Show and both love to put up a good light display when decorating their house for the holidays.

“It was our way of giving back to the community that showed us support through the years,” said Tom.

“We have been very, very successful and we are extremely thankful to the people. Anywhere I’ve been in the Pontiac, the people are just great. If they said they’d get in touch with you, they would,” said Tom.

“We are looking forward to retirement, but the one thing my wife and I are really going to miss is dealing with the people,” he added.

Though they are looking forward to starting this new chapter of their lives, the Murdocks say they have enjoyed their journey and will continue to cherish it during the years to come.

When asked what his retirement plan was, Tom said, “I have a list here that would choke a horse.” At the top of that list, Tom said he wants to work on a building project he began on his century home four years ago and just never found the time to complete.

As for his wife, Tom said Leona has one of the best gardens in the Pontiac and she plans to continue enjoying her gardening hobby.

The Murdocks said they are grateful to their daughters for their understanding and support, to their employees for their dedication and hard work, and to their friends and family for believing in them. And to the community, for staying strong and safe during this pandemic, and for the patience they showed them while they completed their jobs.

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