James Howard Murray

James Howard Murray was born on February 5, 1934, in Los Angeles, California. He passed away on September 28, 2010 in Houston, Texas. A memorial service will held at 10am on October 9, 2010 at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home at 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX. 77079.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to your favorite charity or Life’s Solutions Hospice Care, Inc. in Houston.

Jim is survived by Beryl Murray, his wife of 39 years, his sister, Shirley Coskey, and three daughters, Sandy Rapp, Brenda Longmire and Lee Michelle Snyder. He is also survived by two sons, Jim Murray, Jr. and Kent Fleshner. In total, there are thirteen grandchildren and ten great-grand children in the Murray clan.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, J. C. and Vera Murray, his brother, Bill Murray, and his son, Rod Murray.

Granddad, as he was known to all, grew up in Kerrville, Texas and really took to the Hill Country as a youth. He was an avid outdoorsman and star athlete at Tivy High School, where football was his favorite sport. He also tried his hand at Golden Gloves boxing and placed second in the novice division of a tournament in San Antonio. But he admitted that he was more of a fighter than a boxer, and didn’t take it much further.

Like many of the young men of that era, Granddad served in the Army for two years. Fortunately, the Korean Conflict had just ended, so he stayed stateside for the duration of his service.

Granddad’s business career started in the oil field, where he worked for an oil field services company, including an assignment in Nigeria, which he often talked about with his Nigerian nurses at Treemont. They became his favorite patient because he knew their homeland.

His niche in the business world was in manufacturing plastic and rubber products. During his career, he moved from a production scheduler up to a division manager, and then plant manager when ownership changed. He continued to excel in designing and manufacturing filter plates, and eventually became co-owner of the company. His engineering expertise was in such demand that, even after his retirement, he remained active in the marketplace, designing and selling products to his loyal customers.

Granddad truly loved the outdoors. He built a bay house on Demi John Island, with his own hands, so he could hunt and fish the coastal waters. He learned where to fish in the bays, where to hunt ducks and even how to venture off-shore for an occasional fishing trip. He later returned to his Kerrville roots and began deer hunting in earnest. Every fall, when that first crisp morning arrived, he would head to the deer lease. Although he always seemed to get a deer, he loved the camaraderie of the campfire and a few toddies with his buddies most of all.

To those of us who knew him, Granddad was a special man. Generous to a fault, he inspired loyalty and friendship. His love of family was deep, although he didn’t always show it in traditional ways. He was honest and trustworthy, a good provider and fun to be around. The world was a better place because of him.

We miss him already.