Joe Murray

Joseph Edward Murray, III passed away on April 10th at his son’s home in Cary, NC. He was surrounded by loved ones and went peacefully after several years of battling cancer. Joe was born in Hartford, Connecticut and grew up in Newington with his two older brothers Paul and Mike and two sisters Ginny and Claudia. His parents were teachers, and they enjoyed many summers at Cape Cod.
Joe went to the University of Connecticut in Storrs and met the love of his life, Phyllis Morgan, who he married in February 1970. Joe and Phyllis quickly started a family with their first son, Bruce, born in December. Joe continued to get his degree from Central Connecticut State and launched his career in accounting and finance while Phyllis supported them by working several jobs. Joe and Phyllis had two more children while they continued to live in CT, another son, Mike, and daughter, Stacey. Soon after Stacey was born the family moved down to Germantown, TN to escape the cold weather. A few years later, the family moved to the small town of Paris, TN where Joe’s career thrived and the whole family got to enjoy many fun outings on Kentucky Lake where Joe was able to fulfill his love of water and boating. Once the kids were grown, Joe and Phyllis built a beautiful home on Kentucky Lake to enjoy the water even more. Joe was also the mastermind behind many fun family vacations touring many great national parks including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Mount Rushmore, the Redwood Forest, and Yellowstone.
Joe and Phyllis moved to London, KY to accommodate Joe’s career, and were able to enjoy a houseboat on Laurel Lake. Once Joe and Phyllis retired from working, they moved to Knoxville, TN to enjoy the city life after living in small towns for so many years. They have enjoyed traveling the world from Iceland to Singapore and Alaska to Australia. They also enjoy taking walks and playing bridge.
Joe is survived by his wife, sisters Claude and Ginny, brother Paul, 3 children and spouses, 7 grand-children, and 2 great-grandchildren.
Joe was an incredibly loving, generous and fun man who would want everyone to remember that “Life is grand.” Celebration of life ceremony for friends and family planned for May 20. contact family for further details.

In lieu of flowers, the family would prefer donations made to the American Cancer Society to honor his memory.