Hugh J. Murray, 91, of New Bedford died February 26, 2016 at St. Luke's Hospital after a long illness. He was the husband of Hazel F. (Ramos) Murray with whom he shared 24 years of marriage and the late Maureen (Lennon) Murray.
Born in New Bedford, the son of the late Joseph and Mary (Lancaster) Murray he lived in New Bedford all of his life.
Mr. Murray was formerly employed as a master electrician and was the chief wire inspector for the City of New Bedford for 23 years until his retirement. He was a hard-working and extremely dedicated wire inspector, totally devoted to the betterment of the City of New Bedford. Under his supervision, all of the electrical wires were placed underground at Clasky Common Park. He also installed all of the connections in the shed at the northwest section of the Park.
Hugh Murray's fingerprints are all over the City of New Bedford for the things he obtained: the four-sided E. Howard clock on the lawn at City Hall; the large, two-ton church bell complete withhand-forged clapper, cast by Henry N. Hooper & Son of Boston in 1869, in front of the New Bedford Free Public library; the Santa sleigh used at Christmastime; the whaling era lanterns in the National Park area of downtown New Bedford; the Victorian cast iron water fountain with the maiden (whom Hughie called Bridget) now located at Buttonwood Park; and the two large cast iron benches located in the front lobby of City Hall and a great many other antique items for the city. He had a great devotion to his hometown, especially to preserve its historic character.
Working with Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, Hugh was allowed to lead a crew of inmates to restore the Butler Flats Lighthouse in New Bedford harbor back to operating condition, a project which took place over a long period of time. In 1998, there was a celebration commemorating the 100th anniversary of the lighthouse protecting our harbor.
During World War II. Mr. Murray served in the U.S. Army and participated in the battles of Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe. He was a recipient of the European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Campaign ribbon, the Distinguished Unit Badge and the World War II Victory medal.
Survivors include his wife; his daughter, Maureen V. Murray of Dartmouth; a step-son, Allen C. Vieira and his wife Maureen of Rochester; 2 step-daughters, Capt. Jane F. Vieira, Chaplain Corps, U.S. Navy (Ret.) of Westbrook, CT and Deborah Watson of Mesa, AZ; a sister, Mary Broadwater of Mattapoisett; 3 grandchildren, Colleen O'Leary and her husband Andrew of Rochester, Michael Vieira and his wife Raquel of New Bedford and Charles Vieira and his wife Casey Cole-Vieira of Marion; 8 great-grandchildren, Alden Cole-Vieira, Carter Cole-Vieira and Georgia Cole-Vieira, all of Marion, Michael, Conor, Patrick, Liam and Julia O'Leary, all of Rochester.
He was the brother of the late John Murray, who was killed in World War II aboard the U.S.S. Underhill, William Murray, Paul Murray and Raymond Murray.
His Funeral will be held on Tuesday, March 1st at 8:30 AM from the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford, followed by his Funeral Mass at St. Mary's Church, New Bedford at 9:30 AM. Burial will be in St. Mary's Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Monday, February 29th from 4-8 PM. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Gifts To Give, Titleist Dr., Acushnet, MA 02743.
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Story about Hugh posted in the New Bedford Standard-Times January 6, 2011
Hughie Murray's fingerprints are all over historic New Bedford. And yet you've probably never heard of him.
Ever look up in admiration at the historic, four-sided E. Howard Co. clock in front of City Hall?
It's there because of Hughie Murray.
How about that giant old cast-iron bell that sits in front of the downtown library? Or the Santa sleigh that races across City Hall's front yard at Christmas?
They're both there because of Hughie Murray.
What about the whaling era lanterns in the national park?
Hughie Murray is the reason they have the design they do.
And the Statue of Liberty-like fountain in front of the Buttonwood Park greenhouse? And the 1812 cannon at Fort Rodman.
They're all there because of Hughie Murray.
Eighty-six-year-old Hugh J. Murray was a little guy who made the most of his opportunities.
A 20-year wire inspector for the city, Murray had a great devotion to his hometown, and especially to preserving its historic character.
He also had a self-confident, mischievous Irishman's approach to life — along with the enterprising ways of a guy who grew up in the Depression. In other words, he knew how to make a lot of little.
A private electrician by trade, Murray spent his city career cajoling, buying, refurbishing and brainstorming about ways to make the city of New Bedford look better.
That means he reconstructed clocks, bells, historic lights by doing it with cheap city labor — he even found a way to keep the Butler Flats lighthouse working after the Coast Guard decided to let it go.
Murray can look back at New Bedford with pride for the character it will bring into the 21st century.
Here's a great Hughie Murray story:
After the old E. Howard clock that once graced Purchase Street in front of Lorraine's lunch counter was demolished in the 1970s, Murray thought the city needed another one.
He put out the word out he was looking for one, and he got a tip that there was a great clock at the Lexington estate of a grouchy old salesman named Benjamin Greene.
So Murray went up to Lexington with the city purchasing agent and city planner to check it out. He was promptly greeted with a chained driveway and a bunch of "No Trespassing" signs. One said, "You are not welcome here, stay away!"
Murray, to the shock of his city fellows, went up the driveway and knocked right on the door.
"Those signs are for bad guys. I'm a good guy," he remembers telling them.
Old man Greene, a giant of a man, greeted Murray with a .38-caliber pistol and bellowed at him, "Didn't you see those signs?!"
"Yes, sir, I saw the signs, and read them," Murray replied. "But I'm a good guy and I came a long way to see your clock."
The old man softened and let him look at the clock but told him it wasn't for sale.
Murray handed Greene his card and said "If you ever change your mind, give me a call."
One year later, Greene called and said the clock was for sale.
Not only did Murray buy the clock, Greene agreed to sell him a whole crowd of other antiques, including the library bell (which had formerly hung in Arlington's congregational church), historic lanterns, the sleigh, the fountain, cannon and more.
Mayor John Markey bought it all for a $22,000 bargain in 1976.
One of the muckety-mucks at City Hall, however, decided the clock should go on the waterfront, where Murray knew it wouldn't be regularly wound.
Before the City Council could mess things up, he instructed his concrete man to dig a foundation in the front yard at City Hall.
The next day, Markey told the City Hallers, "Go and ask Murray; he seems to know what's going on."
Markey remembers Murray as a guy who would see things around the city and always had an idea about how they could be better.
"He was always willing to go beyond whatever the job called for," he said.
Arthur Motta, the city's unofficial historian, said Murray had an eye for the value of things others had discarded. He also had a knowledge of how to read human beings, and how they'd respond to refurbished history.
"He wanted to see things preserved but he also wanted to see things enhanced," he said.
Murray, said Motta, was simply motivated by devotion to New Bedford.
"He did it in a sort of quiet way, and really driven by love," he said. "As a wire inspector, you wouldn't have expected him do the things he did."
Murray has another fixer-up right now.
Back in the 1970s, he hauled an old whaling era school bell down to the Wharfinger Building from the old William Street schoolhouse (now the PACE headquarters).
There, the bell rang ship's time (eight bells every four hours) for decades until its automatic timer died a few years ago.
Murray says the city could restore that bell to ringing ship's time on the waterfront for around $3,000.
"It's worth it," he said. "It was ringin' fine, and all of the people down there know what time it is."
That's Hughie Murray.
Still trying to make New Bedford a better place as he heads toward his 90s.
"I've left my mark on this city," he said.
Indeed, he has.