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August 2014 A.D. Dr.
Valerie Murray Passes—Wife of Westminster Seminary’s Prof. John Murray
Published in Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram on
Aug. 10, 2014 - See more at: http://obituaries.pressherald.com/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/obituary.aspx?n=valerie-murray&pid=172050437#sthash.1nzmA1nx.dpuf.
Accessed 16 Aug 2014.
Dr. Valerie Young
(Knowlton) Murray FREEPORT -- Dr. Valerie Young (Knowlton) Murray, died Aug. 8,
2014, at her home in Freeport. Born on Jan. 9, 1927, in Augusta, to Cecil
Knowlton and Ida Muriel (Young) Knowlton. Along with her mother, she lived with
her grandparents, Daniel S. Young, Jr., and Maud Young, who raised her and her
sister Patricia. She was educated in Augusta schools and graduated as
Valedictorian of Cony High School in 1945. She then attended Smith College in
Northampton, Mass., graduating in 1949 with an A.B. in biology. It was at Smith
that she developed what would prove to be lifelong friendships with Leigh
Berrien Smith and Rose Sun Tchang. Following Smith, Valerie moved to Boston for
graduate work at Harvard's Radcliffe College, receiving her Ph.D. in 1956.
During her time in Boston, she was a member of the historic Park Street Church,
pastored at that time by Rev. Harold Ockenga, evangelical leader and founder of
the National Association of Evangelicals and, later, of Gordon-Conwell Theological
Seminary. It was during her time at Park Street that she made her personal
commitment to be a follower of Jesus Christ, an evangelical faith that she
treasured for the rest of her life. She then moved to Philadelphia and attended
Westminster Theological Seminary. It was there that she met her future husband,
John Murray. John Murray was a longtime member of the faculty of Westminster
Seminary, beloved by generations of students. He published well-regarded
theological texts. He and Valerie had a loving marriage characterized by mutual
respect, intellectual curiosity, and a passionate love for Jesus Christ. In
1958, following her studies at Westminster, Valerie joined the faculty of
Woman's Medical College in the Department of Anatomy with her mentor in
neuroanatomy, the eminent Hartwig Kuhlenbeck. Founded in 1850, Woman's Medical
was the first medical institution in the world established to train women in
medicine and award them the M.D. degree. Her research focused on the
neurological development of the embryonic avian brain and led to the
publication of many scientific articles. Living in Philadelphia, one of her
great joys was being nearby her sister Patricia and her beloved nephews in
Princeton, N.J. In 1967 she left teaching and research and moved to the
Scottish Highlands, where she married John Murray on Dec. 7, 1967. Valerie and
John had two children, Logan and Anne Margaret. John died in May, 1975, and
Anne Margaret passed away following a severe asthma attack at age 4 in 1976.
Valerie devoted herself to raising Logan and participating in her church
community. In 1981, she and Logan moved to Augusta, where she cared for her
aging mother. Starting in the early 1990's, she was active in the life and
ministry of Merrymeeting Bay Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Brunswick, Me. She
will be remembered by those who knew her as a person of generous spirit and
compassionate heart, and someone who always placed others above herself. She
began a long journey through Alzheimer's disease in 2003, and in 2008 moved to
Freeport, where she lived with her son and daughter-in-law and her three
grandsons. Valerie is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Logan Murray
and Mary MacDonald-Murray, and grandsons Joshua, Caleb, and Seth Murray of
Freeport; her sister and brother-in-law, Patricia Paine-Dougherty and Robert E.
Dougherty of Princeton, N.J.; nephews Thomas Hooker Paine, Jr., and wife Lisa
of Sarasota, Fla., John K. Paine and wife Patricia of Montclair, N.J., and F.
Rodney Paine and partner Li Chen Chang of New York, N.Y. The family wishes to
thank Valerie's faithful home caregivers, Jane Pulk, R.N., Patricia Walden,
R.N., Louisa Picard, and Jenna Hutchinson -Dumais; her beloved pastor and his
wife, Rev. Gordon Cook, Jr., and Pam Cook; the nurses of CHANS Hospice,
especially Jo-Ellyn Sturgeon; and Dr. David Salko for their care and devotion
during Valerie's extended illness. Memorial donations are gratefully accepted
to: The Merrymeeting Bay Orthodox Presbyterian Church Building Fund P.O. Box
6020 Brunswick, Maine 04011 Dr. Valerie Young (Knowlton) Murray - See more at: http://obituaries.pressherald.com/obituaries/mainetoday-pressherald/obituary.aspx?n=valerie-murray&pid=172050437#sthash.1nzmA1nx.dpuf
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