Marva Patricia Murray

She was the wife of the late Winston Shripal Murray, former Deputy Prime Minister of Guyana, and mother of Kennard Murray (deceased), Shaun Andre Murray, Mark Winston Murray, and Makeba Malissa Murray.

Grandmother of Tanya Marie Murray, Mark Simeon Murray, and Ijaah Shaun Murray. She also leaves behind four great-grandchildren, Kennedy Paige Marzak, Azai Murray, Kingston Alexander Marzak, and Grayson Shaun Weekes.

Sister of Vernon Fortune, Sister-in-law of Jean Fortune, and aunt of Wayne Fortune.

Relative of the Stephens, Allicocks, Lewis’ and Lancasters.

Marva was born in Georgetown, Guyana, on August 20th 1936 to Basil and Mavis Fortune. She was a proud alumna of The Bishop’s High School, where she was a social butterfly and subsequently made every effort to attend Class Reunions regardless of the event’s location. With an interest in education, Marva went on to study at the Teacher’s Training College where she met her husband, Winston. Following her first stint as a certified educator at the Houston Government school, she gave up the opportunity to attend Howard University in Washington, DC. Instead, she made the choice to accompany her husband to London in the mid-1960s where she provided much support as he successfully completed his studies in economics. By the early 1970s, they had travelled to many continents and lived in Belgium for a few years. Upon their return to her “Dear Land of Guyana,” Marva went on to work at the National Insurance Scheme, External Trade Bureau and Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation. Throughout these various junctures of her life, she developed some of her closest and lifelong friendships.

It can be said that Marva retired herself from the workforce at a reasonably early adult age and thereafter took every opportunity to fulfill her passions for travel and care of her mother Mavis. Needless to say, Marva relished the shared experiences and bonding with her mom, and partner of choice, as they traveled together until her mom’s passing during a trip to Barbados in the West Indies. Following her mom’s death, Marva continued her travels to numerous places where she visited friends and family, with stays varying from weeks and often extending to months. Her love for those with whom she developed an everlasting bond, always made her a welcomed family member in their home.

Marva had a great love of popular music, which was cultivated in her younger days and evidenced by the huge collection of albums (LPs and 45s) which were stored inside and under her radio-gram. If you had a desire to hear the most popular tunes of the times, a visit to Marva’s home took care of that. In her later years, this love of music, facilitated by one of her favorite artist Al Greene, aided her transition to gospel and paved the way for her passion of faith-based songs.

Marva had an adventurous and fighting spirit. She embraced the various changes that came along with life, never backing down and always ready for the challenge. One example is how she adjusted

and later mastered the use of smart phones earning her the prestigious title of “social media queen.” She enjoyed the worlds of WhatsApp, the “Tik and the Tok” and Facebook in order to maintain contact with her cherished folks. She was notorious for sending daily WhatsApp messages on a wide range of topics. This, with a lack of filter, made for lively debates. She enjoyed this pastime up until her health deteriorated earlier this year. Her favorite line was “if a day goes by and you don’t hear from me, know something is wrong.”

Marva was known for her kind and generous spirit. She lived a life that reflected and defined the importance of relationships, and giving. Through it all she would always laugh, smile, and be truly thankful.

A public visitation for Marva will be held Wednesday, January 11, 2023 from 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM at Woodlawn Memorial Park & Funeral Home, 400 Woodlawn Cemetery Road, Gotha, FL 34734, followed by a celebration of life service from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.woodlawnfuneralhomegotha.com for the Murray family.

A livestream of the service may be accessed here:

https://youtu.be/X-m80ta2yXc

or as a backup link:

https://youtu.be/ifijyQa-C-4