Jeffrey Murray

A Mighty Oak Has Fallen - Jeff Murray 3/14/36-10/21/24

Jeffrey Winton Murray, 88, of Cambridge, MA, died peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on October 21, 2024. Jeff was a long-time resident of Cambridge and, along with his late wife Janet, an anchor of the community. For six decades, their home in Cambridgeport with its "War Is Not The Answer" sign was a welcoming space for friends and neighbors.

Jeff was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to an American father (William Murray, a newsreel cameraman) and a French mother (Ariane Murray (née) Armand de Lille). Jeff had a phenomenal memory and could recall details, and even entire songs, from his childhood in Brazil. He lived in New Jersey during WWII, and then moved with his family back to France. As a teenager, Jeff returned to the United States to attend high school at St. Paul's School in New Hampshire, and then went on to Harvard University, where he studied History. He remained close throughout his life to his St.Paul's and Harvard classmate, the late Rufus Marsh.

After college and a brief stint in the U.S. Army, Jeff chose a non-traditional path-he began painting and hoped to build a life as an artist. During this time he supplemented his income with work as a silk screen printer, cab driver, clerical worker, and floor washer.

In 1962 he was set up by Martha Shapiro and the late Willy Zuber (Jeff's cousin) on a blind date with Janet Rosenberg as the 4th for a bridge game. They fell in love and married in 1964. They then moved to Pearl Street in Cambridge where together they raised their three children: Anne, and the twins, Ruth and Jacob.

With his lifelong curiosity for the way things worked, he eventually taught himself the trades-carpentry, plumbing, and electrical. With his wife Janet he started "J and J Home Repairs", but it quickly became clear that Janet's talents lay elsewhere. He then created a small home repair cooperative, where no member (including himself) earned more than anyone else. Over three decades, they worked on hundreds of houses in greater Boston and left their mark in kitchens, bathrooms, and porches with inventive space-saving solutions. Jeff was especially proud of projects where he helped those most in need, including a renovation for a transitional housing program in Somerville. He remained close to his work colleagues Mike Riley, Loc Tran, Errol Alim, and Jian Chong throughout his life.

In addition to his work as a general contractor, Jeff was actively involved in several community initiatives focused on housing justice, climate justice, anti-war activism, and human rights advocacy for Palestine and Central America. Because of his life experience of relocations across cultures and countries, he was especially sympathetic to the plight of immigrants and refugees. A late iteration of his community service and commitment to sharing resources was the "free table". For over a decade, Jeff and Janet created a table in front of their house where people could bring and take any objects. It was a space for community connection, full of serendipity, and much loved by the neighborhood.

Jeff was fascinated by honey bees and was a beekeeper for many years. He kept hives throughout the city and had an observation hive in his home. After he retired from the home builders cooperative, Jeff began collaborating with educators in the Boston Public Schools to place observation hives in classrooms. He loved introducing teachers and students to the mystery of the honey bees: their complex social system and how they worked together to create one superorganism. Jeff pioneered a unique way to make an observation hive survive over the winter by monitoring its temperature. Along with a group of bee enthusiasts and educators, Jeff founded Classroom Hives, a not-for-profit organization, with the goal of bringing observation hives to schools and nature organizations.

In addition to his own works of sculpture, oil paintings, and watercolors, his creativity included appreciating the work of diverse artists around him. His home was a testament to his sensibilities and filled with things he loved, including masks, textiles from around the world, old tools, and found objects.

Jeff maintained a strong connection to his family in France, visiting them often, caring for his parents at the end of their lives, and speaking French whenever possible. In his later years he cherished his weekly Zoom calls with his brothers, Olivier and Mathieu Murray.

Most of all, Jeff cultivated a full and loving personal and community life. He and Janet maintained a close and lifelong friendship with two couples, Richard and Edith Lebowitz, and John and Jane Zocchi. This friend group shared holidays, vacations to Grand Manan, Canada (and many other places), and countless conversations and memories.

He was part of several men's groups-outlets for his intellectual and humanist interests-including a book group, a neighborhood support group, and the "coffee and conversation group" with dear friends. Through these regular meetings, he built and sustained meaningful and lasting friendships.

Central to his personal and community life was his relationship with Janet (who died in April 2024). As he would be the first to tell you, Janet's mantra was "Life is with people" and she modeled unconditional love. Jeff and Janet welcomed countless people into their home with warmth, compassion, and acceptance. Although from very different backgrounds, and despite Jeff being what he called a "baseball widower" every year from April through October, they aligned in profound ways and built a life and community by living their values. In the last years of his life, he devoted himself to caring for Janet, and would often say the deep pain he felt at her loss was the "wages of love".

He is survived by his daughter Anne Chiriboga, her husband David Chiriboga, their children Ana Gabriela and Nicolas (of Cambridge, MA); son Jacob Murray, his wife Jennifer Azzara, their children Benjamin and Theo (of Brookline, MA); daughter Ruth Economou, her husband Stefan Economou, and their children Elise and Lucas (of Cambridge, MA; as well as his brothers- and sisters-in-law, Olivier and Genevieve (née Chedeville) Murray (of Paris, France), Mathieu and Carole (née Fevre) Murray (Versailles, France), and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins in the US and abroad.

The family would like to share our deepest thanks to PACE team at Cambridge Health Alliance and Jeff's close friends (Neil Rohr and Patty Hnatiuk, Bill Cavellini and Kate Byrne, Dave Slaney and Leslie Cohen, Randy Albelda and Mary Eich, Barbara and Remy Targgart, Deborah Colburn, Jackie Cefola, and many others) for their care and companionship over the past several years.

Jeff Murray was a man of profound empathy, curiosity, and commitment to justice. He leaves behind a world forever enriched by his presence and a community deeply grateful for his example.

If you would like to honor Jeff, please consider donating to these organizations which he cared deeply about:

Classroom Hives http://www.classroomhives.org/

Gaza Mental Health https://www.gazamentalhealth.org/

Plans for a celebration of life event will be forthcoming and posted on Legacy.com.