BETTY NOSLER MURRAY

1917 - 2015

Betty Nosler Murray, 98, passed to her eternal life on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 in Harlingen, Texas.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Menton J. Murray, her parents J.B. Nosler and Roxie Williams Nosler and her sister Maud Nosler Beard.

Surviving her is son Menton Murray Jr. (Lori), daughter Betty Murray Smith, grandchildren, Menton (Trey) Murray III (Janey), Stephanie Shafer (Steve), Sybil Cohn, and Sarah Johnson (Paul), great grandchildren Hannah, Menton IV, and Kenady Kate Murray, Abigail and Julia Shafer, Madison Cohn, and Henry and Grady Johnson.

Betty was born Jan. 28, 1917 in Terre Haute, Indiana and at the age of 2 moved with her family to San Benito. She attended public schools in San Benito and graduated at the age of 16 from San Benito High School in 1933. She attended Brownsville Junior College and graduated from the University of Texas with a BS in education in 1937. She was a member of Alpha Chi Omega Sorority while attending The University.

After graduation, she returned home to San Benito and began teaching in the Mercedes public schools. While there she was introduced by a friend to a young Harlingen lawyer who was practicing in Mercedes as well. After catching a weekly ride with the young lawyer between Harlingen and Mercedes during the school year, she married Menton J. Murray in Dec. of 1938 and moved to Harlingen. She was a housewife for the next few years and became a mother two months following the attack on Pearl Harbor. After her husband Menton enlisted in the Navy, she and her young son traveled with him to some of his early training including Boston and returned home when Menton shipped out to the Philippines for the duration of the war in the Pacific.

After the war Menton returned to Harlingen to practice law and was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1948. In Jan. of 1949, Betty and Menton Jr. joined new Representative Murray in Austin for the legislative session. She continued with this for another session in 1951, joined also this time by two month old daughter Betty. In 1953, she and the family opted to stay home for the session so that her son could participate in Little League baseball. In 1954, she had the opportunity to return to teaching her first love, Texas History, at San Benito Junior High where she had once been a student. This continued through the fall of 1960 when she took a leave of absence to again join her husband at the legislative session of 1961. Daughter Betty joined them and son Menton Jr. was six blocks down the street as a freshman at UT. She returned to teaching in San Benito in the fall of 1961 and continued until 1967 when she retired. Betty enjoyed up until her death running into former students, now all in their 60's or 70's, who remembered her and would remind her of something she taught them in class.

Retired, with a grown son and a daughter at UT, Betty now had time on her hands. She began going with Menton to the legislative sessions until he retired from the legislature at the end of 1974. She also was able to attend the 1974 Texas Constitutional Convention with her husband. She became involved in various community and civic affairs. Much of her activity involved Harlingen and Valley historical preservation. In 1977, she was appointed by Governor Dolph Briscoe to the Texas State Historical Commission and served until 1983 when she was Vice-Chairman. She received the Texas State Preservation Away from the commission in 1986. She also was appointed by Governor Ann Richards to the Texas Antiquities Commission. While on the Historical Commission, she was able to get historical markers on many Harlingen and Valley historical sites.

She was a founding member of the Harlingen Museum Board and was active in moving several of the buildings that currently make up the complex. She was the driving ford behind obtaining, financing, relocating and restoring the first Harlingen hospital to the museum grounds. She was also deeply involved in relocating and restoring the old Paso Real Inn to the museum. She also took the lead in restoring the old Ross-Bobo house.

During the years, Betty served on many boards and committees including the Shepard's Center Board, Caminos del Rio Board, the Foundation Board of the Mental Health Center for Hidalgo County, Harlingen Proud Board, chairman of the Iwo Jima Memorial Monument Funding committee. She served on the advisory board for the restoration of the old Cameron County Courthouse in Brownsville, now known as the Dancy Building. She and her husband were responsible for the construction of the patients and residents clubhouse at the Rio Grande State Center which bears her husband's name. She served as a volunteer at the Valley Baptist Hospital for 22 years.

Betty was a member of St. Anthony Catholic Church and has served on the parish council and the school endowment committee. She sent both of her children to St. Anthony School. On the parish's 50th anniversary, Betty wrote a booklet on the history of St. Anthony's Church.

In 1974, to celebrate his retirement after 26 years as a state representative, Menton took Betty on a budget priced tour of England and Ireland. It was her first trip overseas (and his first not courtesy of Uncle Sam). It created a monster. They began making regular trips to various places mostly in Europe during the remaining 15 years of his life including East Berlin when it was still behind the Iron Curtain and the Berlin Wall was still in place. Following his death, she began traveling worldwide, often two or three times a year. She had been in all continents if you include an optional excursion by a low flying plane over Antarctica. She kept a large framed map of the world on her breakfast room wall with pins marking where she had visited. Eventually, the map was more pinholes than paper. Highlights included a trip via the QE2 from the US to London returning to the US by the Concord Jet and the final voyage of the QE2 from London to Dubai where the ship was decommissioned to be turned into a hotel. She continued to travel abroad well into her 90's.

Special thanks to Karin Salmond for her years of love and dedicated service to Betty's health and well-being, to the owners, staff and residents of SonShine Terrace for their tender and thoughtful care during the last months of Betty's life, and to Father Lawrence J. Klein for his immediate response during her last day.

Visitation will be held on Monday, Feb. 9, 2015, from 5- 7 p.m. at San Benito Funeral Home, 1400 West Business Highway 77 in San Benito. The Rosary will be said beginning at 7 p.m. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Father Larry Klein in her home parish, St. Anthony Church on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. St. Anthony Church is at the corner of East Van Buren and 11th Street in Harlingen. Interment will follow at Mont Meta Cemetery in San Benito.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the St. Anthony School Endowment Fund, 1015 East Harrison Ave. Harlingen, Texas 78550, or any charity of your choosing. Sign the guestbook at www.valleystar.com/obituaries