SPENCER – Brother Edmund, OCSO, a Trappist Lay Brother of St. Joseph's Abbey, 167 North Spencer Road, died Saturday, December 7, 2013 at St Mary's Health Care Center in Worcester after a long illness.
Born in 1919 in Lynn, Massachusetts, John Joseph Murray, Jr. graduated from Lynn Classical High School. He was a decorated World War II veteran who served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corp in the European, African and Middle Eastern Theater Campaigns. After an honorable discharge from the military he served as a proud and loyal member of the Lynn Fire Department for several years.
He entered St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer as a Lay Brother in 1957. In 1960 he was sent to the Abbey's new foundation of Our Lady of the Angels monastery at Azul, Argentina, where he worked on the construction of the new buildings and where he pronounced his solemn vows in 1960. He remained at Azul until 1973 when he returned to St. Joseph's Abbey.
Brother Edmund served the monastic community nobly throughout his monastic life as a dedicated electrician and fireman.
In addition to his family, he is survived by his brothers at the abbey who wish to express their gratitude to the staff of St. Mary's Health Care Center in Worcester for the very attentive care they gave to him over the past four years.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, December 11 at 2 P.M. at St. Joseph’s Abbey. Burial is in the abbey cemetery. J. HENRI MORIN & SON FUNERAL HOME, 23 Maple Terrace, Spencer, is directing arrangements.