John Joseph Murray February 24, 2022 John Joseph Murray died peacefully on February 24, 2022, in the home he shared with his wife of 70 years, Nancy, surrounded by love. John was born in Yonkers, NY, November 17, 1928, the only child of John and Alice Murray, who both emigrated from the "old country" as teenagers. His maternal grandmother and his cousin Alice shared his childhood home. He married the love of his life, Nancy Sullivan, in 1951, and they raised their eight children in Syracuse, NY, with many summers spent at Charleston Lake, Ontario. He was known for his smile, love for his community and zest for life. John's father, who had a 6th grade education, helped him with spelling using Latin from his education with the Christian Brothers in Ireland. John was a proud "Christian Brother boy" too, graduating from Manhattan Prep and Manhattan College. On John's first day at the Prep he was exposed to Dorothy Day through her newspaper The Catholic Worker. He read it and was hooked. She exposed him to the impact of mercy on hopelessness and set him on a path of peace and justice. He felt he had three crucial mentors in his life: Dorothy Day, Father Charles Brady and, the best of his life, his wife Nancy. John's parents served in the US Army during WWI. John joined the US Army during the Korean War era and volunteered for an Army counterintelligence post in Syracuse, NY. In 1952 John and Nancy began a love affair with this community that lasted the rest of their life together. After his Army service, John worked for General Electric. He resigned with Nancy's approval when GE sponsored a visit to Syracuse by Senator Joseph McCarthy. He then became the first full-time employee of the Syracuse University Research Corporation. He enjoyed SURC, but left to work for the Crusade for Opportunity, an early anti-poverty program in Syracuse. That led to his job as Executive Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, in Poughkeepsie, NY. John and Nancy missed the Syracuse community and they quickly moved back to Syracuse where John became Assistant Director and, then, Director of the Regional Medical Program of Central NY. He worked to improve health outcomes in a service area stretching from the St. Lawrence River to northern PA. John was particularly proud of their pioneering work to provide at-home dialysis units to people in need. After then-President Richard Nixon deprived the RMP of funding that Congress had allocated, John moved on to the American Management Association and, eventually, his own company, Management Circle Consultants. In both of these John facilitated long term planning processes for clients as diverse as the Catholic Relief Services in Africa and a Pineapple Growers' Association in Hawaii. He believed that every person in the organization mattered, and prided himself on including in his processes everyone from Housekeeping to CEO. John worked into his late 70's, including significant pro bono work in the Syracuse area. John and Nancy gave time and energy to activism and community service. They were involved in the Catholic Interracial Council in the early 1950's, and broader civil rights efforts. During the 1950's John joined marches at noon protesting Niagara Mohawk's lack of Black employees. He joined Martin Luther King Jr in the March on Washington in 1963. John was the first Democratic Councilor elected to represent the City's 5th District. He was deeply involved with Housing Visions in Syracuse, helping to create affordable housing in healthy neighborhoods. He volunteered with the Road to Jericho and Jail Ministry to help re-integrate formerly incarcerated persons back into the community. He was instrumental in United Way's Success by Six to give all kids a good start in life. John loved Syracuse and worked constantly to make it better. He helped create community gardens and worked for years to create a system of safe bicycle trails around the city. He was recently honored with the designation of a portion of Meadowbrook Drive as "John Murray Ave." He was one of the City's volunteer beekeepers, relocating stray colonies. He participated in the Thursday Morning Roundtable for more than 50 years, and was once named Volunteer of the Year. He saw TMR as the perfect venue to bring diverse people together to make Syracuse great. John, an Army veteran, stood for peace. He demonstrated against US military actions for decades, including the use of drones operated from Hancock airport. He spent years standing with thousands of fellow peace activists demanding the closure of the controversial School of the Americas in Georgia. John's concern for peace and justice was nourished by the faith community he and Nancy shared with the St. Andrews community for more than 40 years, followed by "St. Andrews Outside the Walls," St. Lucy's and All Saints. Through these parishes John supported a health center in Nicaragua, refugees settling in Syracuse, and the St. Lucy's soup kitchen. Unity Acres, the Friends of Dorothy House and A Tiny Home for Good all had a special place in his heart. A man of significant energy, John was a Senior Olympian swimmer for years and biked the hills of Syracuse into his 80's. He loved his time at the Downtown YMCA. John's best times with Nancy, their children and their offspring were spent at the family cottage on Charleston Lake, the family reunion in Rochester, visiting them in far-flung homes, and enjoying the zoo and strawberry picking in CNY. John was predeceased by his beloved grandson Max, his adored daughter-in-law Ann-Marie (Martin), grandsons Adam and Taylor who he didn't get the chance to know but would have loved, and his best friend Vince O'Neil. He is survived by his wife Nancy, their eight children Cathie (Mike), Martin, Eileen, Sean (Deb), Maureen, Meg (Ivan), Brendan and Clare (Mike); his grandchildren Evan (Kristen), Neal (Hilary), Erin, Sheila (James), Caitlin (David), Connor, Shannon, Beth, Sha (David), Martin (Claudia), Sean (Fallon), Brian (Seunghee), Sarah and Elizabeth, and his great-grandchildren Olivia, Aiden, Becca, Cody, Ryan, Eva and Cam. He is also survived by a myriad of nieces, nephews and cousins on the Sullivan and Murray sides who held him in deep affection, as well as wonderful friends he made during 70 years in Syracuse. John and his family were very grateful for the help of staff at The Nottingham, Inspire Care of CNY, and Hospice of Central New York and the Finger Lakes during this last part of his journey. John donated his body to Upstate Medical University in a final act of generosity. A Celebration of John's Life will be held later this year at All Saints Parish. If you want to honor him, please do so with your own actions of love and mercy

Published by Syracuse Post Standard from Feb. 24 to Feb. 27, 2022.