Danah Marlene (Dale) Murray

Danah Marlene (Dale) Murray, 94, passed away peacefully on August 17, 2026 in Edmond, Oklahoma. Danah was born on July 21, 1932, in Hot Springs, Arkansas, to Hazel Roosevelt (James) Dale and Arthur Clyde Dale. She was the younger sister of Billy James Dale, and spent her entire childhood in the community she would always call home.

Danah attended Hot Springs High School, where she dated and married Virgil Preston Murray. They were married on Christmas Eve in 1950 and proceeded to relocate to New Orleans to work in the family carpet business. Danah and Virgil raised two children and spent 20 years in New Orleans making lifetime friendships. In 1970, they returned to Hot Springs where they owned and operated Shorecrest Resort on Lake Hamilton and other lake properties through the years until their retirement.

Danah attended Central Baptist Church in Hot Springs for many years, but following Virgil’s passing in 2003, she joined First United Methodist Church. Danah remained in the home they had shared since the 1970s and was able to live independently for many years. As she grew older, she sometimes remarked that she was outliving most of the people she had known throughout her life. Yet true to her nature, Danah continued to make new friends and was always excited to tell her family about friends she had recently met. When Danah reached her 90s, she moved to Edmond, Oklahoma to be closer to family.

Danah was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, Virgil Murray; parents, Hazel and Arthur Dale; and her brother, Billy Dale, and his wife, Libby.

She is survived by her two children, Preston Murray (wife Cathy) and Robin Howell (husband Lynn); four grandchildren, Nicole Jund (husband Preston), Andrew Murray, Thomas Howell, and Elizabeth Kirtley (husband Colton); two great-grandchildren, Jake Jund and Peyton Jund; and a host of other family and friends.

Per Danah’s wishes, she will be laid to rest beside Virgil at Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Hot Springs, Arkansas in a graveside ceremony at 2:00 pm on Saturday, August 29, 2026. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the charity of your choice.