Holden Judson “Ned” Murray, who lived his whole life in Melrose and held the course record at Mt. Hood Golf Course for half a century, died peacefully at home with his family around him.
He was born in Malden, the son of “Bumpy” and “Weewee” Murray, and left Melrose High School for the Army, serving from 1961 to 1964. He came home, earned his GED and a degree from the Wentworth Institute of Technology, and spent 23 years as a senior draftsman at General Electric, where he was part of a team that spent 12 years on a classified exhaust liner for the F-117A Stealth Fighter. At Mt. Hood he played for more than 50 years, won the club championship four times, shot the course-record 63 in 1975, and after retiring took a “temporary” job at the course that lasted 16 years. His family remembers a loyal, protective man who stood up for the underdog, loved Hampton Beach and Disney World, and led with laughter.
He leaves his wife of more than 58 years, Mary-Ellen Murray; his children, Jeffry Murray and Lisa Symonds; his grandchildren, Jay Symonds Jr., Holden Symonds and Jaclyn Dillon; his son-in-law and daughter-in-law, Jay Symonds and Nicole Murray; his siblings, Ralph, Norman, Anne Burns, Helena and Eugene Murray; his sister-in-law Pat Murphy; and many nieces and nephews.
A celebration of his life is Friday, October 30 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Mt. Hood Golf Course, 100 Slayton Road, Melrose; the family asks guests to bring good stories. Arrangements are by the Gately Funeral Home, Melrose.
Compiled from information published by Gately Funeral Home. Photograph courtesy of the family via Gately Funeral Home. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
