1 May 1919 – 3 Apr 2006
Husband of Cleo LaVon Drumiler
William E. “Bill” Murray, 86, passed away peacefully in Salt Lake City on April 3, 2006. He was born May 1, 1919 in Proctor, Minnesota, to William F. and Florence Murray. He married Cleo Drumiler Snarr in 1947 in Ogden, Utah.
Bill’s boyhood was spent in Libby and Missoula, MT, and his teenage years in Lincoln, NE and Ogden, UT, graduating from Ogden High in 1937. He graduated from Utah State University in Forestry and Range Management in 1941. After attending Midshipman School at the University of Notre Dame in 1943, he served in the U.S. Navy on a PT boat in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1945. From 1945 until his honorable discharge in 1946 with the rank of Lieutenant, Senior Grade, he served with Service Division 101 in Shanghai, China, as a Public Information and War Diary Officer. While in college, Bill worked summers in the Tetons as a lookout on Mt. Moran.
After his Navy service, he began his career in Ogden with the United States Forest Service. Over the next 33 years, Bill and family lived in Fairfield, ID; Boise, ID; Reno, NV; Terra Linda, CA; Washington DC; Philadelphia, PA, and finally, back to Ogden where he was Deputy Regional Forester for State and Private Forestry until his retirement in 1979.
After retiring, Bill and Cleo enjoyed traveling to visit family and friends. They maintained homes in Ogden, St. George, and Las Vegas until 1996 when they moved to Salt Lake City to be closer to their daughters. Bill and Cleo loved playing bridge, golf, and entertaining. He played a mean piano, especially boogie-woogie and ragtime songs. An accomplished watercolorist, Bill painted the landscapes of Utah and the West. Many of his paintings are in the homes of family and friends.
His daily routine always included reading the newspaper and working crossword puzzles. Bill is survived by his wife Cleo, his daughters Colleen (Jeff) Mullins, Salt Lake City; Janet (Russ) Storbo, Evanston, Wyoming; stepdaughter Carol S. (Bob) Moss, Holladay; seven grandchildren, seven great-grand-children, and a brother, Robert J. “Bob” (Dorothy) Murray, Auburn, Washington; and four nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by a son, Kenneth William Murray, who died in 1979 at the age of 29.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 8, 2006, 12:00 noon at Larkin Sunset Lawn Mortuary, 2350 E. 1300 S., Salt Lake City, where friends may call one hour before the service. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Silverado Senior Living Foundation, 1430 E. 4500 S., Salt Lake City, UT 84117.