Shirley R. Murray

Shirley R. Murray (Martin) of Stoneham, formerly of Charlestown and Somerville, entered into eternal life on Sunday, January 3, 2021,  at her home.  She was 96 years young.

Shirley was born April 30, 1924; a daughter of the late Bradley W. and Esther (Sullivan) Martin.

Shirley was the beloved wife of William J. Murray for 46 years; married on September 24, 1953, until Bill's passing on February 10, 2000.  She was the loving and devoted mother of Sheila Kupchaunis and her husband John of Somerville and Sharon Galante and her husband Dave of Tewksbury.  She was the dearly loved sister of Irene M. Triplett and the late Pearl M. Fielding.  She is also survived by her loving and caring niece Eileen Dillon and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.  She will be greatly missed by all, including her sweet cat Paddy, Sheila's dog Wiley and Sharon's dogs Moxie and Hogan.

Shirley grew up in Charlestown and was educated at St. Francis De Sales School and Charlestown High School, graduating in 1941.  During WWII, she worked as a stenographer for the Veterans Administration.

Shirley was an exceptional woman with a kind, caring, generous, thoughtful heart who brought joy to so many. Her love and devotion to God and the Catholic Church sustained her through many trials and losses.  She attended daily Mass  for decades and was an Eucharist Minister at St. Patrick's Church and throughout the Stoneham community.  She also volunteered at the Seventh Day Adventist Food Pantry in Stoneham for years.

Mrs. Murray was a Girl Scout extraordinaire for over sixty years.  She enjoyed teaching young women in the skills of friendship, arts and crafts, campfire cooking over a perfectly built fire, singing and sharing her love for creatures great and small.  Her daughters recall being taught to not kill a spider, but to simply capture it and release it out into nature, as they are God's creatures, too.

One of Shirley's sources of pride was her love and devotion to the United States of America.  She so enjoyed teaching young Girl Scouts about our flag and the protocol of raising, lowering, positioning and folding it.  She demonstrated respect for our democracy by her diligent hard work as a secretary at the Stoneham Town Clerk's Office, a Census Taker and for several decades a member of the Election Team.  Since September 11, 2001, she wore a flag pin to honor those lost on that fateful day.

Admired, respected and loved by so many, she will be fondly  remembered for the extraordinary person she was.

A funeral mass will be held Friday, January 8th at 10 A.M. in St. Patrick Church, 71 Central St., Stoneham.  Visitation: Thursday, 4-7 P.M. at Anderson-Bryant Funeral Home, 4 Common St., Stoneham. COVID protocol required.  In lieu of flowers, her family suggests  memorials be made to the Where Angels Run (dog rescue); Box 534, Conway, AR 72032,  Girl Scouts of Eastern MA or St. Patrick Church.