“Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.”

Rabindranath Tagore

Well done, good and faithful servant. Jim Murray, beloved husband, father, brother, uncle and friend, passed away peacefully at home on February 8, 2026, surrounded by family, after enduring a long battle with dementia.

Born in Fort Lee, Virginia, Jim grew up in Ozone Park, Queens to two parents from Ireland who instilled in their children at an early age the sacredness of home and family. Jim loved recounting memories from childhood, especially serving with his brother as an altar boy at Saint Mary Gate of Heaven Roman Catholic Church.

His parents were proud to become owners of a summer cabin in Sandy Hook, CT. There were many opportunities for renovations and at an early age, Jim helped his father frame the house, shingle the roof, add a bathroom and dig an enormous cesspool! As he fondly remembered, his father always reminded him to “measure twice, cut once”.

Upon graduation from St. John’s University, he served in the Army as a First Lieutenant, seeing active duty in Vietnam. On display at our home is the Bronze Star Medal, awarded to Jim for “meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces”.

In 1988, Jim started casually stopping by Marianne’s desk at Citibank in New York City. Five weeks after their first date, he proposed and they were married a few months later. Andrew was born in 1991, and Claire in 1993. Citibank moved the family to Brussels, Belgium, where they took full advantage of traveling to all the surrounding countries, along with their irascible corgi, Mikey.

2000 was the year the family returned to the United States and settled in Ponte Vedra. Jim retired from Citibank in 2006 and enthusiastically embraced retirement with travel, flying his airplane cross country, boating, taking many motorcycle trips with his dear friend Charlie Hoskins, and simply enjoying life! We recently discovered a journal Jim kept during those earlier years, filling pages with how proud he was of Andrew and Claire. He often delighted in telling them, “God danced the day you were born”.

Diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment in 2022, Jim’s world slowly became smaller and smaller, with the eventual insidious diagnosis of dementia. The family will be forever grateful for our family and many friends who loved him - just as he was - still grateful for his infectious laugh while telling his well-known and often shared stories from childhood. He will be fondly remembered for his generosity in sharing his time, his talents and his toolbox when anyone needed him. For a man who vowed ‘no cats!’, Jim was completely won over by our rescue cat, Milo, who became Jim’s faithful buddy, staying by his side throughout his journey.

Jim is survived by his wife of 37 years, Marianne; son, Andrew (Tessa Moxley); daughter, Claire; brother, Michael Murray (Jane); sister, Eileen (Bob Stapleton); sister-in-law, Nancy McAlhany; nephew, Cody Parker (Keertana Chandrashekar). He is predeceased by his parents, Michael and Martha (Lavin) Murray and his sister-in-law, Liz McAlhany.

A celebration of life will be Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 11:00 AM at Christ Episcopal Church, 400 San Juan Drive, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Following the service, there will be military honors in the courtyard immediately followed by a reception in the Parish Hall.

The family is deeply grateful for the compassionate care by Community Hospice, truly angels in our midst. If you would like to make a donation in memory of Jim: The Foundation of Community Hospice and Palliative Care, 4266 Sunbeam Road, Jacksonville, FL 32257

“We are all just walking each other home.” Ram Dass