John Francis Murray

1934 - 2024

August 16, 1934 – September 20, 2024

John Francis Murray was born in the Bronx, New York, the fourth and last child of Dr. Robert J. and Mary McCarthy Murray. He was the namesake of his grandfather who was Borough President of the Bronx and its Commissioner of Public Works. Six years later, the family moved to Elmira, NY where he was raised.

He was a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, with honors, and its Law School, finishing second in his class. He received an appointment to become a trial attorney in the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice. He litigated federal tax cases in United States District Courts throughout the country and argued appeals in federal Circuit Courts. He received promotions through his Justice Department career to his final rank of Deputy Assistant Attorney General. He also served as Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Tax Division for nearly a year. Among the many awards he received over his career were the Attorney General's Award from Robert F. Kennedy and the Distinguished Executive Award presented to him by President Ronald Reagan in a White House ceremony. He was a member of the District of Columbia and New York State bar associations, and a charter member of the Senior Executive Service. He was a frequent speaker and lecturer at government, bar association, and educational events.

Upon his retirement from the Department of Justice, John became counsel to the Washington DC law firm then known as Groom & Nordberg. He and his wife, Nell, owned and operated several franchised pizza stores in Maryland through the 1990s. Upon disposing of those businesses and retiring from the practice of law, he became a Virginia certified mediator, handling cases in the Virginia courts as well as federal tax disputes between taxpayers and the Internal Revenue Service.

Throughout his life, John was involved in many civic, community, and church activities. He and Nell were active members of Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Mount Vernon for over 53 years where he served in various ministries, including lector and president of the parish council. John served on the board of directors of Good Shepherd Housing and was supportive of its mission to provide housing to the working poor. He enjoyed the role of auctioneer at various charitable organization fund raisers, especially the Good Shepherd Housing annual gala, where he assisted the organization in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the needs of its clients. He was also an active participant in the River Ridge community where he and Nell lived for 25 years, including service on the board of directors and various committees. He was alumni secretary of his Notre Dame Law School class for over fifty years.

Blessed with an infectious sense of humor, John loved associating with co-workers, neighbors, friends, and most especially his family. He particularly enjoyed his high school, college, and law school reunions, all of which he faithfully attended, and was a loyal Notre Dame sports fan. Along with his wife, he traveled extensively throughout the world, visiting all fifty states and many international destinations.

Besides his best friend and wife of 58 years, John is survived by his children: Kate Harper (Scott) of Lincolnshire IL, Jack (Coleen) of Alexandria, and Drew of Phoenix. Their son, Matthew, predeceased him in 1998. He is also survived by nine grandchildren: Jake, Erin and Matthew Murray; Cole Murray; Ryan, Sarah and Grace Harper; and Liam and Autumn Murray.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 26 at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 8710 Mount Vernon Highway, Alexandria, Virginia 22309. A reception will follow at Mount Vernon Country Club. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Good Shepherd Housing at www.goodhousing,org. or Good Shepherd Housing & Family Services, P.O. Box 1266, Newington, VA 22122.