Sylvan
Jerome “Jerry” Murray, 77, a lifetime resident of Shelby and Korean Conflict
veteran, passed away Sunday, March 20, 2005 due to natural causes. Visitation
will be 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday, March 27th at the Whitted Funeral
Chapel in Shelby with a Rosary at 7 p.m. at St. William Catholic Church in
Shelby. Funeral Mass will be 11 a.m., Monday at the church with burial with
military honors to follow in Mountain View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the
family suggests memorials to the Shelby Boy Scout Troop #555. Condolences can
be sent to the family at
www.whittedfuneralchapel.com.
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Florence Murray of Shelby; daughters, Margaret Ann (Lance) Hansell of Anchorage, AK, Colleen Marie (Ricky) Nelson of Livingston, MT, and Rose Mary (Mike) Barrow of Gilroy, CA; sons, John N. (Christine) Murray of Pomona, CA, William P. (Cristy) Murray of Shepard, MT and James T. Murray of the U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Saipan; sisters, Grace Dazell of Ephrata, WA and Marge Oretel of Conrad and he was very proud of his 15 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Also surviving Jerry are numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Viola Peers, Susan Murray, Sylvianne Jones and a brother, John N. Murray.
Jerry was born November 6, 1927 to Sylvan and Margaret (Costello) Murray south of Shelby. After high school, he joined the Marine Corps and served from 1948-1952 and was stationed in Hawaii during the Korean Conflict. Upon returning home, he married Florence Mary Habets in her hometown of Valier on November 6, 1952.
Jerry worked as a rancher for a few years before going to work for the Toole Co. Road Dept. from 1963-67, the Farmers Co-op from 1967-69 and the City of Shelby from 1969-1976. He went to work as a jailer for the Toole Co. Sheriff’s Office in 1976, while at the same time serving as the Toole County Coroner starting in 1979. Retiring from both positions in 1989, he traveled and enjoyed life.
Jerry was known as the ultimate volunteer. He was a longtime member of St. William Catholic Church and was a volunteer in numerous church activities. He was very proud of the fact that he helped as a carpenter on almost every church in Shelby. He was a volunteer member for nearly every community organization in Shelby except for the fire department. Kids were Jerry’s main passion and he was always willing to help be a part of enhancing their lives. To this end, Jerry was a Scoutmaster, attaining the honor of Silver Beaver and also served as a 4-H leader.
Many in Shelby respected and admired him for the help he so willingly provided. Jerry will be missed by all that knew him.