Neil R. Murray

Neil R. Murray of Lilburn, Georgia, died unexpectedly on April 1, 2019. He is survived by his wife Beth, daughter Tara, son Dylan (Joana Paulino), sister Charlotte Davis (John), nephew Julian Davis (Meghan Flicek), and niece Laura Davis (Benjamin Kelsey).

Born in Dayton, Ohio on April 11, 1945, son of Alice D. and Andrew H. Murray, Neil attended Amherst University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he received Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English.

In just about every one of the many places he lived in New York and Georgia, he found his calling teaching college students the art of writing. He enjoyed reading to his children, making books like The Hobbit come alive from his armchair. Neil also wrote news and feature articles for the Glens Falls Post-Star and the Ticonderoga Times of Ti. His ability to retell a story turned almost every piece he worked on into a dinner-table tale for the family. In retirement, Neil spent many hours over the course of a decade volunteering at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, working in the Sheffield Botanical Library and sharing the joy he found in books by reading regularly for the Garden’s Storybook Time.

Friends and family will remember fondly his love of good food. For years he cultivated extensive vegetable gardens. Weaving his endless desire to learn with cooking, Neil amassed a library of cookbooks featuring cuisines from around the globe, and he worked his whole life to perfect his pie crust. When his doctor recommended a low-fat and low-cholesterol diet, he learned to cook delicious healthy food.

Growing up on Long Island, Neil enjoyed walking the beaches and digging for mussels. When he moved to the Adirondacks, Neil took his children hiking, canoeing, and skiing in the mountains. In Lilburn, he kept bird feeders in the backyard, and enjoyed watching songbirds flitter among the Lady Banks roses he planted for his wife. He found peace with nature, taking weekend trips to walk Gibbs Gardens in Ball Ground, Georgia and spending yearly retreats with his sister walking the natural beaches of Pawleys Island, South Carolina. He practiced his photography on backyard birds and flowers, on visits to botanical gardens, zoos, and aquariums, and on trips to visit family.

To celebrate Neil’s life, a memorial service will be held on Sunday, April 7 at 3 p.m. at Advantage Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 500 Harbins Road, Lilburn, GA 30047. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made towards a tribute bench in Neil’s memory at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Contributions may be made online at https://atlantabg.org/donate/tribute-and-memorial-gifts/. Gifts by check to be made payable to: Atlanta Botanical Garden (mailing address: 1345 Piedmont Avenue, NE, Atlanta, GA 30309). Fully eligible for a charitable income tax deduction, tribute gifts serve to directly support the Garden’s mission, providing vital funds to care for its nationally recognized plant collections, develop exceptional educational programs, and support the Garden’s conservation work with endangered and rare plants.