Obituary of Ellen Elizabeth Murray

Ellen Elizabeth Murray (née McCarthy), 94, died peacefully on the morning of February 4, 2015, with her family at her side. Born November 14, 1920, in New York City, Ellen was a resident of Leonia, NJ for the last 13 years. She was the beloved wife of 66 years of the late Joseph Frank Murray Sr. Following her brothers into military service during WWII, Ellen enlisted in the W.A.C. (Women's Army Corp) in 1943. Although she was a Licensed Practical Nurse, she was first assigned to the Cooks and Bakers division. She later worked in the V-Mail (Victory Mail) operation, copying correspondence to microfilm to expedite mail service for American armed forces overseas. She met her future husband while she was serving as a nurse at Fort Williams in Maine. After the war, the Murrays lived in New Kensington, PA. Later, they raised their family in Wading River, NY where Ellen organized many fundraisers for the Volunteer Fire Department and St. John’s Church. In 1970, they relocated to Danville, PA where she continued her nursing career, retiring in 1985. The Murrays then embarked on a trip across America, settling in Zephyrhills, FL in the 1990s. They returned north to Leonia in 2002. Ellen designed and created many lovely craft projects. The highlight was a set of handmade activity books to help children learn to count, read, tell time, tie shoe laces, and identify colors. These heirloom fabric books are cherished by her family. Surviving are her daughter and son-in-law, Mary Ellen and Kenneth Tucker of Leonia, and grandsons, David Tucker and Matthew Tucker, both residing in Manhattan; her son, Joseph Frank Murray Jr. of Tucson; her sister, Catherine DiPierro, and brother, John McCarthy; and many nieces and nephews. Ellen will be laid to rest, with military honors, at the Calverton National Cemetery next to her husband, Joseph. Private ceremony. Arrangements by Frank Patti of Fort Lee.