Captain Robert Alvin McMurtray Jr., US Navy (Ret)

1930 - 2024

Captain US Navy (Ret.) Mac passed away quietly, on October 28, 2024, at his home in Burke surrounded by family and friends at age 94. He was born in Indianola, Mississippi on August 7, 1930. After graduation from Indianola High School, he attended Rice University on an NROTC scholarship and entered Navy flight training in 1952. He was designated a Naval Aviator in May 1953 and served for 31 years before retiring in 1982. Most of his flying career was spent in carrier-based jet fighters. He logged over 8000 flight hours, all in single-piloted aircraft, and accumulated over 642 carrier arrested landings on 10 different carriers. He was a double centurion (over 200 arrested landings on 2 different ships - USS Kittyhawk CVA 63, USS Saratoga CVA 60). He flew 163 combat missions from the USS Kitty Hawk (CV A-63) in North Vietnam during the Vietnam war from 1965 - 66 and commanded an F-4 Phantom squadron on the USS Saratoga (CV A 60). His 31 year career in naval aviation was completely accident-free. His military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross w/combat V (Vietnam), 2 awards of the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, 15 Air Medals, 2 awards of the Navy Commendation medal w/combat V, and various foreign and campaign ribbons. He was a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and the Naval War College in Newport, R.I. After retiring he worked for Westinghouse Data Systems in Northern Virginia as a consultant on special security.

His first wife Sandra Peck died in 1970. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Capria, and by four children: Scott of Castleton, Virginia; Robert "Rocky" of Carmel, Indiana; Elizabeth "Lisa" Libby (Roger) of Fairfax; and Shannon Johnson (Matthew) of Oakton; and five grandchildren. He was an accomplished woodworker who made furniture as a hobby. He enjoyed snow skiing and sailing.

He was a docent at the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia. He was also a 32nd degree Freemason.

Visitation will be held at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home on Tuesday, November 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. A memorial service will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal) on Wednesday, November 6 at 11 a.m. Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the National Air and Space Museum at Dulles, the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida. or to the Church of the Good Shepherd in Burke, Va. The online guestbook is available at