Duncan W. Munro

Duncan W. Munro 94, of Worcester, formerly of Northborough, passed away early Saturday morning, December 26, 2020, at UMass Medical Center, after a valiant fight against Covid-19.

He was born in Fitchburg,

MA, on July 24, 1926, the son of Duncan and Esther (Ryan) Munro of Ashburnham. Mr. Munro graduated from Cushing Academy with the Class of 1944, then served in the US Army in Europe at the end of WW II. In 1951, he received his Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and was an active member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

On February 6, 1960, he married Ruth Baker, at St. Denis Church in Ashburnham, MA. Ruth and Duncan enjoyed spending summers at their cottage on Lake Winnekeag in Ashburnham and traveling to see his cousins in Scotland.

Mr. Munro worked as the Superintendent of the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge from 1966 until 1989. Duncan made many improvements to the Cemetery, including the design one of the first aboveground garden crypts in the Boston area. Previously, he worked for Bayler & Mingolla Construction Company in the 1950s and early 1960s, building portions of Route 2, Interstate 93, and Interstate 91. Duncan was a member of the Ashburnham Volunteer Fire Department from the early 1940s until the 1960s.

Mr. Munro was a former President of the American Cemetery Association, the Massachusetts Cemetery Association, and the New England Cemetery Association. He Co-chaired the first International Cemetery Conference.

Duncan is predeceased by his wife of 52 years: Ruth (Baker) Munro of Northborough. He is survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A graveside service is planned at noon on Saturday, June 19th, 2021, at the New Cemetery, 121 Main St., Ashburnham, MA 01430, in a section of that cemetery designed by Duncan Munro. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made, in Duncan Munro’s name, to the Gordon Erickson Fund, c/o Ashburnham Fire Dept. 99 Central St. Ashburnham, MA 01430 or to Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Hays Funeral Home, 56 Main Street, Northborough is honored to assist the Munro family with arrangements. To share memories, photographs, or condolences with Dunc’s family, please visit his www.haysfuneralhome. com