Dr. Robert Fulton Murray Jr.

1931 - 2022

Murray

Dr. Robert Fulton Murray Jr. (Age 90)

Dr. Robert Fulton Murray, Jr. "Bob" died peacefully in hospice care on January 21, 2022 at the age of 90 surrounded by his loving wife and children.



Dr. Murray was born on October 19, 1931 in Newburgh, New York, to Henrietta Judd Murray and Robert Fulton Murray, Sr. He received a Bachelor of Science from Union College and received his medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine. It was at the School of Medicine he met his wife, Isobel (Peachy) Murray, where she was a nursing student. The two wed in Rochester in 1955.



After completing his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado Medical Center, he served in the US Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health. He later went on to earn a Master of Science in genetics from the University of Washington in Seattle.



Dr. Murray joined the faculty of Howard University College of Medicine in 1967 in the Genetics Department and served as Chairman of the Graduate Department of Genetics and Human Genetics. He also saw patients at the Howard University Hospital pediatric clinic. He retired from Howard University in 2009 after serving 42 distinguished years.



Dr. Murray was an active member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, a fellow and member of the Board of Directors of the Hastings Center on Bioethics, and a fellow of the American Association of Science. He has served on special committees at the National Institutes of Health such as the Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee (RAC) and the Human Gene Therapy Subcommittee, and the Working Group on Ethics, Law and Social Issues of the National Center for Human Genome Research. He was also a pioneer in pediatric sickle cell disease research in the 1970s. Dr. Murray has authored or coauthored more than 80 publications, including four books.

One of Bob's true passions in life was music. He was an accomplished pianist and had a powerful and beautiful singing voice. He found great joy performing with the choir, and directing and singing with the Jubilee Singers at All Souls Unitarian Church. He was a vibrant member of All Souls for over 40 years. He was also a talented athlete in his youth and continued to be a fitness buff late into his life.



Bob had an infectious laugh and a great sense of humor. He was a born storyteller and loved to regale friends and family with tales of his life and adventures. He loved science fiction, sitcoms, opera, classical music, jazz, R&B, good food, and the Redskins.



Dr. Murray is survived by his wife Peachy Murray; his children, Dr. Robert F. Murray, III, Suzanne F. Drielsma, and Dianne Murray Jones; his grandchildren, Maya Woodcox, Ryne Murray, Carter Jones, Isabelle Jones, and Logan Jones; his great-grandchildren Isobel and Eugene Woodcox; his sister, Phyllis Woodard; his nieces and nephews, Charles Woodard, Pamela Woodard, Henrietta Woodard, and Stanley Woodard; and a host of grand-nephews, grand-nieces, and cousins.



Dr. Murray was predeceased by his parents, Henrietta and Robert Murray, and his son, Colin Charles Murray.



There was a private burial service at Rock Creek Cemetery on February 19, 2022. Family and friends are invited to celebrate his life on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 11 a.m. at All Souls Unitarian Church, 1500 Harvard Street, N.W.