John Henry Murray, Jr., 90, of Worcester, passed away peacefully with his family at his side on Thursday, June 20th, 2013 in the Rose Monahan Hospice Home in Worcester.
John was born on April 4th, 1923 in Worcester, the son of John Henry Murray, Sr., and Evangeline (Holman) Murray. He graduated from St. John’s High School (Temple Street, Worcester) and Worcester School of Science. He also attended Clark University and Worcester State University. He was part of the “Greatest Generation” and proudly served in the Navy in the Pacific Theater during WWII.
On 24 July 1948, he married the former Mary Elizabeth Shea at St. Peter’s Church, Worcester. They would have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.
John worked for the Electric Light Co. (now Mass Electric) for 14 years followed by 30 years with the US Postal Service, retiring in 1992.
A devout Catholic, he attended daily Mass for many years and was a longtime member of Our Lady of the Angles Church in Worcester. John loved sports and was an avid fan of the Red Sox and Patriots. He was also the #1 fan of the football teams of the College of the Holy Cross and for many years could be seen on the sidelines during the practices and games cheering on his favorite local team. He knew the names and stats of all the players. He also took special joy in helping his children with any household jobs that needed to be done—from carpentry to painting to yard work. No job was too hard for him to tackle and teach along the way. He was especially proud of the fact that he built his own house.
He delighted in being involved in the lives of his many grandchildren. There were always sports games, plays, first communions, confirmations, graduations, and lately weddings to attend. He was a great storyteller and loved telling his children and grandchildren about his childhood and WWII. He had many fond memories of summers spent with relatives in Clinton, MA, and Putnam, CT.
In addition to his wife Mary, John is survived by his six children: Carolyn (Sahdev Raj) Passey of Holden, Maureen (James) Girouard of Millbury, Janet (Roger) Steele of Worcester, John P. (Janice) Murray of Holden, Ann-Marie (Michael) Thompson of Oxford, and Linda (James) Miller of Kingston, RI. He leaves 23 grandchildren: Michael (Jennifer) Passey, Katelyn (Mark) Pe, and Sean (Lauren) Passey; Matthew and Kathryn Girouard; Patricia, Tracy, Juliann, and Ann Marie Steele; Thomas, Katie Bridget, Daniel, Colleen, Johannah, John, and Patrick Murray; Christopher, Jennifer, and Michelle Thompson; Mary (Christopher) Stoneaker, Lisa (Christopher) McStay, and Eileen and Julia Miller. He also leaves 6 great-grandchildren—Eamon, Liam, Colin, and Declan Passey, and Noah and Alexander Pe—his sister-in-law Helen Shea, and many nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his sister and brother-in-law Clara and Daniel Leary, in-laws Patrick and JoHannah Shea, sisters-in-law Margaret Knox and Kathleen Shea, brothers-in-law Walter D. Knox and Donald Shea, and nephew Joseph Leary. He was particularly close to his Uncle Pat and Aunt Clara McDonald of Clinton, and his cousins Angela and Newton Vaughn of Putnam, CT.
The family would like to thanks Dr. Dilip Jain; Homecare Solutions, Inc.; his nurse Becky; his PT Jamie; VNA Care Hospice; nurses Holly and Maura; social worker Marilyn; and the entire staff of the Rose Monahan Hospice Home, who made his final days so comfortable.
The funeral will be held on Monday, June 24th, from O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue, with a Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of the Angels Church, 1222 Main Street. Burial will be in St. John’s Cemetery. A visiting hour will be from 9:30 until 10:30 A.M. Monday in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to either Our Lady of the Angels Family Center Campaign, 1222 Main Street, Worcester 01603 or the Rose Monahan Hospice Home, 10 Judith Road, Worcester 01602.