Murray Giles Hulse

November 12, 1934 - February 1, 2026

He was warm-hearted, witty, and multi-talented as a singer, woodworker, and gourmand who made his own sourdough starter and savored a nice wine with the dinner recipes he created. Murray Giles Hulse died peacefully in Charlottesville on February 1, 2026, with family singing to him at his bedside. In recent years he faced significant health challenges due to Parkinson’s Disease.

Murray was born in Elizabeth, NJ, to Stewart Harding Hulse and Katharine Jones Hulse on November 12, 1934. He was raised in Westfield, NJ, where he ran track in high school and where music became an important part of his life, beginning in his early years playing the clarinet and working at the local record shop.

Blessed with a beautiful baritone voice, he sang in choruses and select ensembles throughout high school and college. A member of Chi Psi fraternity and Choir, he graduated from Hamilton College in 1956 with a dual major in biology and music, which he liked to claim allowed him to teach frogs how to sing.

Soon after college graduation he began a career with Aetna Life Insurance Company that took him to Michigan, where he and his former wife welcomed and raised their three children in the northwest suburbs of Detroit. During that time, he studied voice with a renowned Metropolitan Opera baritone who said he wished he’d met Murray sooner since he “might have had a career.” He sang with the professional Kenneth Jewell Chorale and had numerous lead roles in musical theater productions in the greater Detroit area.

Wherever he was living Murray sang in the church choir, which is where he and Dory, his devoted wife and soul mate, first met. He was the one in the middle of the baritone section at rehearsals who wore an innocent expression while his fellow singers were guffawing over some witty pun he had just uttered.

After nearly two decades at Aetna, he transitioned to employee benefits consulting—a move that eventually drew him to Boston and New York City before he changed careers entirely. His departure from the corporate world turned a lifelong hobby into a full-time business. Murray started Time & Again Furnishings at home in Ridgewood, NJ, and soon moved to larger quarters as he grew the business of designing and building custom furniture and cabinetry. He was delighted when his son, Eddie, moved from Michigan to join him in the business in 1994. He brought his entrepreneurial business spirit to the Rotary Club of Ridgewood, serving on the Board and as President.

As a hobby Murray’s woodworking skill was top tier. Among his most ambitious projects was his restoration of a 1936 Chris-Craft, awarded a prize by the Lake Winnipesaukee (NH) Antique and Classic Boat Society. This recognition was particularly meaningful due to many decades he spent vacationing at Boulderwood, the special cottage his parents built on the lake which he acquired upon their passing, allowing another generation to enjoy truly memorable times there as well.

When the couple built their home in Earlysville, Virginia in 2002, the construction included a separate woodworking shop. Every room in the house shows his talent in its cabinetry, furniture, or both. Murray joined a club of fellow woodworkers, the Brothers in Wood, who share ideas, sometimes tools, and always camaraderie. When their church formed a Mission Construction Team, Murray didn’t hesitate to offer his skills to repair homes for those in need in Virginia’s coal country and post-Katrina New Orleans, making multiple trips to both locations.

A member of First Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, Murray enjoyed singing in the church choir, spent a decade singing with the Oratorio Society of Virginia, and supported both Oratorio and the Charlottesville Symphony as a board member. A UVA Hoos fan alongside Dory, they enjoyed traveling together across the United States and three continents.

Murray is survived by Dory, his wife of 48 years, his sister Susan Logan, and three children from his marriage to Marilyn Jaffee: Katherine Loomis (Peter), Elizabeth Ludwig (Thomas), and Edward Hulse (Janine). He is also survived by Dory’s three sons: Matthew (Linda), Peter (Tabby), and Christopher (Carmen) Bailey, as well as a total of 15 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. He also leaves nephews Daniel Logan (Sophia) and Stephen Hulse (Grace), nieces Melissa Hulse (Thomas Dingus) and Jennifer Hulse Mitchell, and five great-nieces and nephews. His brother Stewart Hulse Jr. predeceased him.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 11 at the First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park Street, Charlottesville. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Charlottesville Symphony, Oratorio Society of Virginia, First Presbyterian Church’s Music Endowment Fund or its Honduras & Mission Fund. Teague Funeral Home has assisted the family with arrangements (TeagueFuneralHome.com). Murray’s ashes will be placed in Monticello Memory Gardens.