Known to all who knew and loved him as "Dick", Richard Brooks Murray was born on April 22, 1931 in Birmingham, Michigan, the son of Francis and Laura (nee Brooks) Murray, settled there where they raised their three children, Dick, his brothers Robert (d. 2009) and Howard.
Dick graduated from the University of Michigan in 1953, joined the army and was stationed in Korea. After his honorable discharge he returned to Ann Arbor and married Mary Mullins, his college sweetheart. He began his professional career with Chrysler Motors where he remained until his retirement. During his time with Chrysler, Dick and Mary raised three sons and lived Italy, Turkey and Argentina and England. They loved travel and collected paintings and furniture abroad. In 1978, they returned to the US and lived in Troy, Michigan. Mary passed away after a long battle with cancer in 1986.
In 1988, Dick was sent to Milan, Italy for a Chrysler joint venture, followed by another in Graz. Austria. He then retired and married Shirley Gibson, a retired teacher. Dick and Shirley moved to Traverse City, Michigan where they enjoyed entertaining an assortment of friends and family at their home on Long Lake. In their thirty years together, Dick and Shirley enjoyed many common interests such as bridge, traveling and golfing. They often hosted foreign exchange students who were attending the Interlochen Center for the Arts, which they supported.
Dick had many passions in life, but one of his most enduring and deepest was for the University of Michigan, particularly the football team. He never missed a Saturday, whether that meant traveling to the stadium to cheer the Wolverines on in person, or sitting comfortably in his favorite chair at home. Dick had a seemingly bottomless well of anecdotes and facts about the places he had been and the people he met along the way. His family could be sure to hear something new every time Dick delved into his personal history, which was filled with humorous adventures.
Dick is survived by his wife Shirley, brother Howard (Judy), sons Steven (Joanne), James, and Thomas (Sonia), Shirley's daughters, Deborah (Peter), Jane (John) and Amy, his grandchildren, Joss, Callum, Alexander, Sabrina, and Shirley's, Anne, Scott, Woody and Clark.
A celebration of Dick's life will be held at 1pm on September 13, at the Presbyterian Church. A gathering will follow on the South Wing Porch at Cordia.