Obituary for Daniel Reed Murray
Daniel R. Murray of Medfield passed away surrounded by his loving family on May 22, 2021 after a brief illness. He was 66.
Born August 13, 1954 to Simon “Doug” and Alice Murray, Dan grew up in Wayne, New Jersey. He left for adventure at 18, striking out for Maine, then to Boston for art school. He met Kathy Menard shortly after, beginning a romance that would last the next 41 years. They married and traveled the globe, returning to the Boston area where they started their family.
A life-long photographer, the world and its characters were Dan’s muses -- shadow and light, beauty and tumult, weathered faces and gap-toothed smiles. He used his lens to capture and chronicle all he saw. He transformed his passion into a career, operating his own commercial photography studio for many years before joining Potpourri Group as a staff photographer.
Dan was a voracious reader, sharp-witted, and quick to laugh, recount a story, or deploy a whoopie cushion. He had the right word for each occasion (honed from years of solving New York Times crossword puzzles), but sometimes only a facial expression would do it -- a raised eyebrow or “The Ben Face” conveyed his point or elicited a laugh. His escapades with friends (particularly Pete and the St. Francis alumni) are the stuff of stories, and it was all true. At home, he made sure the house was filled with music, ideas, and a thirst for knowledge of the world.
Despite living in New England for nearly 50 years, his New York Yankee fandom was imprinted for life, care of his mother, Alice. He shared this love of baseball with his brothers, sister, and cousin Richard and passed it on to his own children.
Dan was a devoted husband to Kathleen Menard-Murray; loving father to Maggie Murray (Justin Lane) of Colorado and Anna Murray of New York; brother to Simon “Rusty” Murray (Renata) of New Jersey, Lindsay Murray (Jill Dickerson) of Texas, Dierdre Muller (Rich) of New Hampshire, and Myles Murray (Mary) of Illinois; brother-in-law to Thomas Menard (Sheryl Saxton) of Florida and Steven Menard (Cindy) of Westfield; and uncle to several nieces and nephews.
Family and friends are invited to gather to celebrate Dan’s life (with masks, please). Visiting hours (with an opportunity to share memories) will be held on Monday, May 31st from 4-7pm and Tuesday, June 1st at 9:30am at the Roberts Mitchell Caruso Funeral Home, 15 Miller St. Medfield. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, June 1st at 10:30am at St. Edward’s Parish in Medfield, followed by burial in Vine Lake Cemetery, Medfield.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local food bank and calling an old friend to share a laugh.
Born August 13, 1954 to Simon “Doug” and Alice Murray, Dan grew up in Wayne, New Jersey. He left for adventure at 18, striking out for Maine, then to Boston for art school. He met Kathy Menard shortly after, beginning a romance that would last the next 41 years. They married and traveled the globe, returning to the Boston area where they started their family.
A life-long photographer, the world and its characters were Dan’s muses -- shadow and light, beauty and tumult, weathered faces and gap-toothed smiles. He used his lens to capture and chronicle all he saw. He transformed his passion into a career, operating his own commercial photography studio for many years before joining Potpourri Group as a staff photographer.
Dan was a voracious reader, sharp-witted, and quick to laugh, recount a story, or deploy a whoopie cushion. He had the right word for each occasion (honed from years of solving New York Times crossword puzzles), but sometimes only a facial expression would do it -- a raised eyebrow or “The Ben Face” conveyed his point or elicited a laugh. His escapades with friends (particularly Pete and the St. Francis alumni) are the stuff of stories, and it was all true. At home, he made sure the house was filled with music, ideas, and a thirst for knowledge of the world.
Despite living in New England for nearly 50 years, his New York Yankee fandom was imprinted for life, care of his mother, Alice. He shared this love of baseball with his brothers, sister, and cousin Richard and passed it on to his own children.
Dan was a devoted husband to Kathleen Menard-Murray; loving father to Maggie Murray (Justin Lane) of Colorado and Anna Murray of New York; brother to Simon “Rusty” Murray (Renata) of New Jersey, Lindsay Murray (Jill Dickerson) of Texas, Dierdre Muller (Rich) of New Hampshire, and Myles Murray (Mary) of Illinois; brother-in-law to Thomas Menard (Sheryl Saxton) of Florida and Steven Menard (Cindy) of Westfield; and uncle to several nieces and nephews.
Family and friends are invited to gather to celebrate Dan’s life (with masks, please). Visiting hours (with an opportunity to share memories) will be held on Monday, May 31st from 4-7pm and Tuesday, June 1st at 9:30am at the Roberts Mitchell Caruso Funeral Home, 15 Miller St. Medfield. A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, June 1st at 10:30am at St. Edward’s Parish in Medfield, followed by burial in Vine Lake Cemetery, Medfield.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to your local food bank and calling an old friend to share a laugh.