Arthur Anthony Murray

Arthur Murray Obituary

Arthur Anthony Murray

Esteemed psychiatrist Arthur Anthony Murray, MD, died at home on Wednesday, November 26. With his wife Edel Hondl, MD, he was part of the Harvard Psychiatric Group. Father of Larry and Marlene (Shelton); Arthur "Ted," Chris and Jim Niblack (Seattle); John and Fran (Korea); Roger and Leila (Redmond); MaryAnne and Beej (Ocean Park); and Jimmy (deceased). Grandfather of Dana Niblack, Kimberly Morrison, Karen Morrison and Jason Zoeger, Sarah Niblack, and Anna Murray and Joe Gandy. Great-grandfather of Elise Zoeger and her awaited brother. Son of Edward F. Murray and Barbara Lamanska, brother of Agnes and Dewey Tichi, and 8 deceased siblings. Beloved uncle of many.

Attended St. John Parish School, Lincoln and Queen Anne High Schools, UW, and Southwestern Medical College (Dallas). Proudly served 10+ years in the US Army. Practiced family medicine at Fort Lewis, Fort Gulick (Panama Canal Zone), and Raymond, WA; and later, psychiatry at American Lake, Everett, and Seattle.

Paterfamilias to the Murray-Yagle clan, verbal wizard, expert forensic psychiatrist, former President of the Washington State Psychiatric Association, Chess Master, and 1956 Washington State Chess Co-Champion. He played piano, golf, and chess into old age. His passions were golf, languages and cultures, music, cars, and his 42 year romance with Edel, his soulmate.

Arturo was able to live out his final year in peaceful comfort at home, thanks to his loving 24 hour caregivers: Edel, Hildegard, Katie, and Mim and family. Well done, thou good and faithful!

Memorial service to be held in January of 2015.

Please sign Dr. Murray's online Guest Book at www.Legacy.com.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Seattle Times on Nov. 30, 2014.

Memories and Condolences
for Arthur Murray

Sponsored by The Family.

11 Entries

Linda Amar

December 3, 2014

The titan of a brilliant brood, Art Murray could not fail to influence everyone in his wide compass. I spent 8 years as an in-law. Once one is part of this family, one is always part of it.

After reading Roger's piece, I have little to say, except to agree with him that growing up in such a household must have been a daily adventure and challenge. Music, thoughtful conversation and argument, games with language, travel--a rarefied atmosphere.

Thank you, Art, for what you have given to us all.

JERRIE LARSEN

December 2, 2014

Uncle Art was one of a kind, the best Uncle I had.
He was always smiling, had a quick wit, and a great ability to listen. He was the first of family members to be called when some one needed assistance, he helped anyone who needed to be in the hospital. He was talented on many levels. I enjoy his piano playing, I was no match for him at chess, although he let me play, he was a master at chess. Edel an Art treated me to dinner when my children moved to San Diego. what a treat it was for me. Edel and Art helped support the Murray-Yagle Family yearly picnic and provided food for everyone. They also celebrated all the family birthdays and were so generous to everyone. He raised wonderful cousins that I love. Edel brought some much love to him the last 42 years, they are what all of wish to have in our life, unconditional love. Love to you all,
Jerrie Larsen

Bill Phillips

December 2, 2014

Roger, John and all family; sending you all prayers of peace and joy. Wish I had gotten to know your Dad a bit better, Roger. I remember that he played the piano very well.

December 2, 2014

Roger,
What a beautiful remembrance of your father. Hold the memories close. You were a lucky guy to have such an interesting dad.

My thoughts are with you at this sad time.

Mary Segale Woodbury

December 1, 2014

Thoughts and prayers to Roger on the passing of his father.
Fred and Shannon McCarthy

Larry Wilson

December 1, 2014

To Edel and others,

I am one of Art's many psychiatrist friends and colleagues here in Seattle. I was sad to hear of his death. His obituary reminded me of his various professional pursuits as well as informing me of his wide range of other interests. I always enjoyed chatting with Art at meetings and at other gatherings like our department of psychiatry Grand Rounds at the medical school. He had a nice "joshing" sort of manner and was an easy fellow to talk to, either in a humorous or serious vein. I will certainly miss Art's presence in our community, and I share your sense of loss.

Ken and Marcia Tank

November 30, 2014

Dear Chris,

So sorry to hear of your father's passing. He certainly lived a full and successful life...and was blessed with a large family. I know you will miss him dearly. Our love and prayers, Ken and Marcia Tank

November 30, 2014

I have many fond memories of the News Year Day for many years in Palm Springs. George and Art are picking up where they left off, enjoying each other's company. They were like two peas in a pod.
My sympathy and love to Edel and the families.
Hugs,
Jean Longaberger

November 30, 2014

My thoughts are with all of the Murray family as you mourn your loss - and I thank Chris especially for introducing me to all of you when we were young,I was always made to feel very welcome by your Dad and Mom. Love to everyone, Ellie Menzies

Juanita Wilcox Lyons

November 30, 2014

I have many, many memories of Art: When I was a very young child, our two families were travelling somewhere in two cars. It was a long drive and I and numerous kids rode in the car Art was driving. We kids got a bit rowdy in the back and had been yelled at many times, when Art stopped the car, made us get out, began to take off his belt, and scared the hell out of us all! (Or maybe his kids weren't as scared as I was!) From those years up to recently, when we enjoyed having Art and Adel with us for Christmas, Art Murray has been a joy and a good laugh in the lives of me and my siblings. As the best friend of both our mom and our dad, Art was our family too. I'm sad to have their era end.

Roger Paul Murray

November 30, 2014

I learned a lot from my dad, Arthur Murray.
1) How to work, starting at an early age, and not stopping too soon.
When I was growing up, and my dad was telling stories of his youth, the Seattle Times paper route he had in the Greenwood neighborhood was a regular topic. He and his best friend, Joe Yagle, both had paper routes. I had many paper routes, starting with the Shopping News, and culminating in the Seattle Times route that included the caretaker's house at Carkeek Park. John, and maybe Jim, had paper routes, too, and Jim helped us on ours when he was 5 or 6. Larry did my route when I went to camp. My dad and I would share stories of the difficulties involved in paper routes, especially when it came to collecting the subscription fees.
My siblings and I also sold greeting cards around the neighborhood of our Palatine House. We worked through an outfit on 83rd or so and Greenwood that gave us some samples and order forms, and we went door-to-door getting orders.
My dad worked, part time, into his 70's and perhaps beyond. He didn't go to the office every day, but still worked professionally, doing psychiatric evaluations for Social Security.
The message from my dad was to work, and one did not have to be hired by someone else to earn money. “Work hard, and play hard,” was something he often said.
2) A sense of adventure and travel.
My earliest memories were of living in Panama. We lived there from 53 to 55, leaving soon after my 5th birthday. We kids had the run of the base, it seems. We played in the jungle that started right behind our house, and a short path lead to the shores of Gatun Lake. I was permitted at times to walk at 4 years old unescorted to the base swimming pool, probably a few hundred yards from our house. The opportunity to wander that my mom and dad provided me at an early age had a huge impact on me.
The boat trip from Panama to New York, followed by the drive across the country to Seattle, with dad, mom and 6 kids helped me develop a love of travel, both by motor vehicle, and on foot in the mountains of Washington state.
The message from my dad was that travel and adventure are an important attribute to living well.
3) A love of language and music.
My dad regularly did not speak normal English at home. He and my mom, Barbara Yagle, his best friend's younger sister, regularly spoke Arp-talk in the house when they did not want us kids to understand. I don't think their advantage in obfuscation lasted long as the kids learned it pretty quickly.
Each of us kids had multiple nick names, the first being based on one's name said backwards. He called me Prince Regor. (sort of made him King Arthur.) Many everyday items were called by different things, usually spoonerisms (roothbam for bathroom) or backwards (ydnac for candy)
The mental and linguistic gyrations we had to perform to decipher what he was saying challenged us kids mentally, made conversation more fun, and might have contributed to the love of foreign language many of us kids have.
There was a piano in the house as long as I can remember. For a while there were two. My dad played the piano with gusto, and my mom played classical music regularly, especially when she ironed. My dad and I enjoyed singing Tantum Ergo and other church songs into his old age when I visited him and Edel.
The message from my dad was that language was supposed to be fun, and that music and song was an important part of life.
4) A regular guy can work on cars, and do home repairs.
It eventually became my time growing up to be dad's “helper” when he had to fix something on the car, like a starter or generator. My dad did a lot of his own car repairs until he became established in his psychiatric. My older brothers had their opportunity to help by holding the flashlight and acting as a gofer, duties that ended when the next brother became eligible.
It was not a fun job when the repair was not going smoothly, but I did learn a few new words, and also an appreciation that one could fix many things with appropriate tools and perseverance.
I was too young to do anything but get in the way when he put a new roof on the family home in Raymond. I remember some of his brothers coming from Seattle to help. Larry got to go up on the roof and help lay roofing. That early exposure to home repairs, and what “ordinary” people could do had a huge impact on me.
The message from my dad was that one can do more than they think they can, and also not to pay someone to do something I could do myself.
5) The importance of helping others.
My dad became a physician in his 20's and a psychiatrist in his 40's. He spent his career working with others, medically and psychologically, helping them to heal and solve their problems. He touched hundreds of lives positively.
I followed in his footsteps in my career as a teacher.
6) The importance of appropriately helping financially.
My dad helped me financially in a few important ways. He paid for half of what I spent on my hiking/climbing gear. My backpacking and climbing experiences in my teens and 20's had a profound impact on making me who I am.
My dad and Edel helped me financially when I almost lost my house in the mid 80's, something that would have devastated me at the time.
The message from my dad, and Edel was that parents don't want to breed dependency, but help is available when the chips are down, and also that supporting a kid's passion can have tremendous long term benefits.
My dad was a complex man. The last few weeks, as the awareness that the end was approaching, I thought a lot about our relationship and came to an awareness of how similar to him I am. I might be the one of us kids that is most “like” him. I also know that I should have talked with him more about the positive influences he had on me.
Roger Murray, 5th out of 7.