Morris E. McMurray

November 15th, 1932 - June 1st, 2024

Morris's Memory Wall

We encourage you to share your most beloved memories of Morris here, so that the family and other loved ones can always see it. Share your favorite stories or comment on those shared by others.

Well, I'm not sure where to start. Our lives are like trees. Ever branching off and leading to new places. I actually met Morris because I was mates with his son. Patrick. Pat and I met in West Germany (as was) just before Christmas 1985. We became great friends. I was serving in the Royal Artillery and Pat was working for a large company in Gutersloh. I finished my service in 87 and flew over to the USA July 88. It was only supposed to be a 2 week visit. I ended up staying for 2.5 years! Morris and Jane opened up their home and their hearts to me. My second parents really. Morris would regale us with bloody awful jokes and stories. We'd laugh till our guts ached and Momna Jane would sigh and smile indulgent at the overgrown schoolboys that we were. I remember allsorts of tales that I couldn't possibly repeat here but suffice to say, Morris was without a doubt, one of the kindest, funniest, and finest of men that I have ever had the honour to have met. I had the great fortune of visiting Morris a year before he died. I'm so glad I got the chance to see him. We both knew it would be our last meeting. I so wish I could've seen Jane before she died but fate has other plans. Morris was a second father to me. I loved the old bugger then and I always will. My life is far richer for having known him. I don't do religion. Most Brits don't. However, if there is more to come, I hope beyond hope that I'll see Morris again. ❤️

Jeremy Gilbert

July 14th, 2024 at 3:58pm

From trips to Colon, to Aunt Nettie's, to mushrooming, and the many varied golf experiences together, my memories of Morrie are all the best of the best. Morrie was much more than a father-in-law, he was my friend. He lived a full life that never lacked for fun and smiles. He was one of God's children and loved so many people, especially Jane. I have no doubt that he's happiest now reunited with her, but not before passing through the gates of heaven and asking St. Peter to 'pull my finger'. He'll be missed.

Steve Toney

June 8th, 2024 at 9:36am

My Grandpa was the cutest old man. He got really sentimental in his later years, and always said ‘I love you’ to his family members. He cherished hugs and giggled at kisses on the cheek. He never stopped telling jokes and making people laugh. He was a great story teller and had a good memory and I learned a lot about his life and family history. He was prideful about being a service man and has deep roots serving our country; he has uncles and distant grandfathers that served for the north in the civil war, as well as the Spanish American war, WWI, WW2, he himself served during the Korean War though thankfully he did not have to be in combat (the war ended right before he would have had to fight), and younger members of his family served in Vietnam.
He loved Grandma Jane so deeply and we hope beyond all hope that he and Grandma Jane have been reunited after 5 long years, in heaven.
Some of my favorite memories with Grandpa: When I was little my grandpa and grandma drove me to Florida and I will always remember the comfy blanket bed they made in the back of their Jimmy, the blankets were the sleeping bags I still have of theirs, and I would read fairy tails and play games and patiently wait til Florida.

Leah and I giving him wild hair at Sattlebrook in Florida and then taking a walk on lizard lane. We have a pic of that wild hair somewhere, and of lizard lane ❤️

One of my favorite memories is when he took my sister Leah, Grandma Jane and I out on his boat from riverview park and we found a little bank on the river to pull off onto. He brought a little grill and we had hot dogs while digging through the sand. It was our own little oasis of joy.

When I was a little girl and stayed at my grandparents house, I would wake up at 5 am because I knew my Grandpa would be laying on the couch in the living room reading the paper. He would serve me a bowl of ‘jacks, smacks and CTC’ - a mixture of Apple Jacks, smacks, and cinnamon toast crunch and then he’d pop a movie on for me. It would either be Pinocchio or Sound of Music, or Sister Act.

When Leah and I would stay with our grandparents we’d always want grandpa to take us for a drive in his Cadillac to watch the sunset at Silver Beach. He would. We felt rich in the Cadillac. Like little princesses. We’d always fall asleep on the way home from the beach and he would carry us inside and put us to bed.

Every time I went to Grandpas house I’d check his cookie jar. Most of the time there was an oatmeal cookie in there, great grandma Lucy’s recipe. Biting into one of those instantly took me back to her kitchen and I would always tell grandpa that. He said the trick was to buy black walnuts from the Amish. They had to be Amish grown black walnuts.

Grandpa joke: Grandpa Morris joke :
Did you hear about the guy that adopted two dogs and named them times and Rolex? They were his watch dogs.

And recently I spent time looking through his pics and learned that he built the Richardson highway into Valdez.