A remembrance of my dad

Francis B. Murray (1928–2022) led a gilded-age life full of surprises and life lessons

Anna Murray

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I recently lost my father, who died at the age of 93. The following is an excerpt from his eulogy.

First a disclaimer

Bewilderment. That’s the expression on people’s faces when I tell family stories without first providing the following context:

My great-grandfather, Thomas E. Murray, Sr., was an early industrialist and co-founded Consolidated Edison. He spawned a clan of Lace-Curtain-Irish descendants who lived a gilded-age lifestyle until the 1980s, when the money finally gave out.

Frank Murray’s gilded-age life was full of remarkable stories and lessons — some surprising even to his family.

A world-class skier

Dad taught skiing at Lake Tahoe.

He also skied professionally all over the world for filmmaker John Jay who made the Imax-esque movies of the day.

Photo credit Francis B. Murray

Dad invented a ski binding that was manufactured and sold commercially. Once, when I was planning to visit Mt. Rainier, he said, “That’s where my sister Anne and I went to test out my ski binding.”

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Anna Murray
Anna Murray

Written by Anna Murray

Tech expert, novelist, and essay writer with an ticklish funny bone. My novel, “Greedy Heart,” is First Best Book Finalist in the VIVIAN Awards.

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