Gerda McMurry

Gerda Galins McMurry passed away peacefully in her sleep on September 16, 2024 at the age of 91. Gerda was born on December 5, 1932, in Liepāja, Latvia, to Richard and Alexandra Galins. During her childhood, her home country was invaded 3 times. At age 11, she escaped in a refugee ship in Riga along with her mother and her two brothers, Alfred and Ivars, while the harbor was under Soviet bombardment. They eventually ended up in a refugee camp in the US zone of Germany. Her father was exiled to Siberia, permanently splitting the family. Years later, they found that he had survived and returned to Latvia, now part of the Soviet Union, where he remained for the rest of his life. Gerda spent her teenage years in a displaced persons camp before immigrating with her mother and younger brother, Ivars, to Tulia, Texas in 1950, her older brother, Alfred, having immigrated to Canada. She graduated from Tulia high school in 1952. The family moved to Austin so that Gerda could attend the University of Texas, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. After graduating from UT, she worked as an Audio-Visual Specialist for UT and designed and illustrated many of their educational materials. She also worked for an advertising agency in Austin.

Gerda married Verene Marvin (Marvin) McMurry, Jr. on December 30, 1955. While living in Austin, they had two sons, Richard and Ron. The family moved to Corpus Christi in 1962. Gerda worked for years for Vernon Smylie, a public relations consultant and author. During that time, she illustrated multiple books on Texas, written by Vernon and Eric Smylie. She also illustrated many ads for local businesses and political campaigns. In 1979, Gerda and Marvin moved to Plano, Texas, where she started her own graphic design business, Kuenzer, McMurry & Associates with her partner, Kathy Kuenzer. Her last business venture was Gerda Graphics.

Gerda was passionate about art and design and these passions were reflected in many different ways. She was a stylish dresser and enjoyed decorating her home. She turned to painting in watercolors as an outlet for her artistic expression and became an incredible artist who frequently gifted her friends and loved ones with original artwork.

Gerda is survived by her two sons, Richard Edward McMurry and Ronald Gregory McMurry (wife Kay) along with her 4 grandchildren, Krystle, Julie, Ryann, and Ricky McMurry. She enjoyed the company of her grandchildren and entire family, always celebrating birthdays and holidays with her elaborate decorations, delicious baked goods, and creatively wrapped presents.

Gerda was a member of several social and civic organizations. She belonged to Xi Pi Chi sorority in Plano and was a charter member of the Delta Xi Master chapter of the sorority Beta Sigma Phi and was an active member for many years. She also enjoyed playing cards with friends, often staying up hours after her grown children’s bedtimes. She had a cheeky sense of humor and always found the funny side of life, even in difficult circumstances.

Gerda’s family would like to thank the staff at The Monarch at Richardson, especially those in their memory care unit for their many kindnesses and care of Gerda.

In lieu of flowers, we request that donations be made in Gerda’s memory to the BrightFocus Foundation for their macular degeneration research on their website, www.brightfocus.org.