Emmett J. Murray

Emmett J. Murray (Jerry) was born in Washington D.C. on May 15th 1937, and entered into eternal rest on April 15th 2014 at the age of 76. A memorial service is being planned by family in Washington state. Jerry came to faith in Christ as a born-again believer in 2001. The eldest of 8 children born to John J. and Patricia (A’Hearn) Murray, Jerry spent his youth growing up on the south side of Chicago and later in Downers Grove, IL. He attended Mount Carmel High School and later graduated from Downers Grove High School in 1955. Upon graduation, Jerry enlisted in the U.S. Navy completing boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Jerry served for two years aboard the USS Bremerton (CA-130), a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser ported out of Long Beach California. When his term of service ended in 1958, Jerry returned to Illinois where he attended school for a while before marrying the former Sharon Janko of Naperville, IL in 1962. Jerry and Sharon had two children, Pamela, currently of Rockford, IL and Daniel, currently of St. Robert Missouri. In 1977, he and Sharon divorced and Jerry moved to Seattle, and then later, Kirkland, WA where he spent nearly the next three decades as a boiler operator and machinery mechanic in the power plant of the University of Washington. Jerry later settled in Everett, WA where he remained until 2013. In July 2013, the effects of cancer began to take its toll on Jerry so his son, Daniel, moved Jerry in with his family in St. Robert, MO where Jerry resided until his death. As a child of a World War II Soldier, Jerry remembers being riveted to the radio to hear the broadcasts of the allied advances to include news of the D-Day invasion. He grew up in an era where saving and salvaging rubber, tin foil and other materials were essential to support the war effort. For much of his adult life he had a passion for the nostalgia of WW II history and he immersed himself in books, movies, and documentaries that highlighted the sacrifices of America’s greatest generation. As a teen, Jerry was an avid sports fan with baseball being his passion. He played on the street and where ever a game was organized, and tells folks he once “had a cup of coffee” with the St. Louis Cardinals. In his later adult years, he took great pride and enjoyment in gardening back in Everett, Washington. Jerry is survived by brother Michael Murray (Judy) of Anacortes, WA; sister Mary Pat Arostegui (Vince) of Matthews NC; brother Steve Murray (Linda) of Graham, WA; brother Mark Murray of Seattle, WA; brother John Murray (Connie) of Seattle, WA; Sister Maureen Carlson (Mark) of La Conner, WA; brother Matt Murray (April) of Shoreline, WA; his son Daniel Murray (Colleen) of St. Robert, MO; daughter Pamela Shumaker (Doug) of Rockford, IL; Pamela and Daniel’s mother, Sharon Ruhl (Stephen) of Naperville, IL; and 6 grandchildren; Joel Shumaker of Chicago, IL; Curt Shumaker of Milwaukee, WI; Grant Shumaker of Rockford, IL; Ashley Anderson (Joshua) of Jefferson City, MO; Stuart Murray of Jefferson City, MO; and Joseph Murray of St. Robert, MO. Jerry was preceded in death by his father, John (1972) and mother, Patricia Murray (1991), and daughter-in-law, Karen Murray (2000). Jerry requests memorial contributions to The Gideons International and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Emmett J. Murray

May 15, 1937 - April 15, 2014