John Staton Murray

John Staton MURRAY Seattle publisher and state legislator, passed away peacefully at his home, October 17, 2007. He was born in Albany, Missouri on August 18, 1925 to Geoffrey and Cecil Murray. They moved to Seattle when he was twelve. As a teen, he played saxophone in dance bands. Even decades later he could pick up a sax and play "In the Mood" or "Take the A Train". John graduated from Lincoln High School where he met his future wife, Virginia Hesketh. He was an avid skier and mountaineer, climbing the six highest peaks in Washington. He joined the Army in 1943, building bridges across Europe for our advancing troops. He returned to Seattle in 1946, graduating from the UW in 1948. He was a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. In 1953, he purchased the Queen Anne News, which grew into the Murray Publishing Company, printing dozens of local newspapers, including the Issaquah Press, Magnolia News, Lake City Star, the Argus, and the first Vietnamese and Norwegian papers in the state. His weekly front-page editorials addressed community issues and explained the political decision making process. Elected to the Washington State House of Representatives in 1966, he served four years in the House followed by eight years in the Senate, championing some of the first environmental bills in the nation, and was instrumental in establishing twenty-two community colleges and The Evergreen State College. He was the prime sponsor for standardized training for law enforcement officials, and professional degree programs available through community colleges. John was a member of the Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions clubs, Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce, served as president of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, first chairman of the State Oceanographic Commission, and on the boards of the Seattle Children's Home and the Queen Anne United Methodist Church. John retired in 1988, marrying his long time love Jean Peters Colman. They enjoyed skiing and travel between their homes in Utah, Arizona, and Seattle. He was a loving husband and father, generous, kind, and always encouraging with his rational perspective. He is survived by his wife, Jean Colman; his brother, Alan Keith Murray, of Maryland; former wife, Ginny Murray, of Seattle, and their children, Jeff Murray, of Orcas Island, Nancy Rowland (Randy), of Seattle, Jill Hamilton (Craig), of Tacoma, Robert Murray (Micaela), of Lake Forest Park; stepson, Ken Colman (Sharon) of Birch Bay; stepdaughter, Christine Colman (Steve Johnson), of Seattle; and eleven grandchildren.