Norman Edmund McMurry's Obituary
Norman Edmund McMurry, 85, passed away on July 14, 2009 in Irving, Texas, of congestive heart failure. Norman was born in Dallas, Texas on June 22, 1924, and earned a Bachelors of Arts from SMU in 1949 and a Masters of Science from Columbia University in 1951. He was a Certified Public Accountant earning his certificate in the early years of licensing by the state of Texas in 1951. He proudly served his country in the Army Air Corps during World War II (1943-1946) and U.S. Air Force Reserves (1946-1952). Norman held positions in accounting and finance with East Texas Motor Freight for over 20 years. He then co-owned and managed Texas Oklahoma Express (1974-1979) and Liberty Tex-Pak Express (1979-1985). In 1981, he and his wife, Martha, moved to Irving, TX. Norman served as President of the National Accounting and Finance Council of the American Trucking Association. Active in Rotary International since the 1950’s, he was President of the East Dallas Rotary Club from 1966-67, and achieved perfect meeting attendance for over 46 years. He became involved in numerous community organizations in Irving, including the Irving Visitors and Convention Bureau, the Irving Symphony Orchestra, the Irving Healthcare Foundation, the Irving Planning and Zoning Commission, and was awarded the Irving High-Spirited Citizen Award in 2001. During the later years of his life he was involved in work with the Dallas County Grand Jury, the DFW Airport Ambassadors, City of Irving Arts Board, the Dallas County Appraisal Review Board, and held leadership positions in several car clubs. Norman’s lifelong interest in automobiles peaked with his participation in the Great American Race in three separate rallies, first in a 1936 Ford pickup truck and then two trips in his prized 1936 Chrysler AirFlow Imperial. His love of Chryslers never ended: his garage holds a 1991 TC Maserati, and a 2008 Sebring hard-top convertible. Norman had a keen interest in traveling the world. He and Martha went on a number of cruises with family and friends throughout the years. Norman’s goal was to travel to 100 different countries, visiting 68 countries and all 50 states in his lifetime. Tennis became a favorite hobby of interest after moving to Irving and he participated in a number of tournaments along with a weekly Saturday morning group of Irving businessmen and doctors. Norman is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Martha Fuqua McMurry, and their four children, Gregg McMurry of Carrollton, TX; Pam Guinn (Steve) of Memphis, TN; Melissa Ciavarra (Joe) of Dallas, TX, and Dr. Keith McMurry (Anne) of Sacramento, CA. Grandchildren are Leslie Guinn Jerkins (Jonathan), Martha Guinn Carter (Dudley), Scott McMurry Guinn of Memphis, Alex and Charlie McMurry of Sacramento, CA, Kevin Ciavarra (Jennifer) of Nashville, TN and Ryan Ciavarra (Amy) of Dallas, TX. A memorial service will be held Friday, July 17, 2009, at 3:30 pm in the Restland Memorial Chapel. Visitation will be at Restland Funeral Home from 7:00 pm until 8:30 pm on Thursday, July 16. In lieu of flowers, donations in Norman’s memory can be made to Irving Healthcare Foundation, 1901 N. MacArthur Blvd, Irving, TX 75061, or charity of donor’s choice.
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