Marge Murray Obituary

  Marjorie Snell Murray [b. Marjorie Snell] passed away peacefully at her Quincy home on August 20th, 2020. Family members were with her during her final days and her passing.
  Marge was the third of four children born to Harry Merton Snell [b. London, England, 1876-1934] and Eunice Mellor Snell [b. Cardiff, England 1895-1977] Her 2 older sisters, Francis and Winifred, as well as her younger brother, Harry, predeceased her. She married John Henry Murray on Dec. 9th, 1945, and enjoyed married life in northern California for 68 years until his death in 2013. They had four sons, Chris, John, Randy [died 1957], and Robert. She is also survived by Robert’s wife, Robin, and grandchildren Daniel [Yarrow Jones], Sierra [Seamas Gallagher], Hillary [Cameron Mills], Kathleen [Emre Mangir], Ryan [Sarah May], and great grandchildren Oisin, Jakodi, and River. In Marge’s last decade she received full-time and loving care principally from Jen Terhune and Laura Anderson.
  Born in Sacramento, Marge graduated from Sacramento High School in 1939, Sacramento City College in 1942, and UC Berkeley in 1945 with a degree in Zoology. While at UC she worked as a draftsman both at the Richmond Naval Shipyard [a Rosie the Riveter] and for Stanley Hiller, a designer of helicopters.
  Her husband, John’s, career as a forester in the U.S. Forest Service took Marge to several California locations including Berkeley, Tennant, Quincy, Greenville, Sawyers Bar, Seiad Valley, Yreka, Alameda, making Quincy a long-term and retirement home beginning in 1960. She was active in community organizations wherever she lived, often serving in leadership roles in PTA, AAUW, Plumas Ski Club, among others. She also worked with Ernie Leonhardt and other local leaders to establish the Feather River College.
Marge
  Marge [also affectionately called “Margie”, “Gran-graw”, and “Ma-Bags”] lived her life fully and often was an inspiration to those around her. During her 98 years she was an artist [painting mostly watercolor landscapes], a gardener [pickles from her cucumber patch were always popular], a competent water-skier, a backpacker, and a companion fire wood cutter. She skied almost her entire life, once when in her eighties remarking to a friend that becoming a caregiver to her husband, John, was “cutting into her skiing”.
  Marge loved games, puzzles, and cards of all kinds. She especially enjoyed bridge and cribbage which she played with friends and family for man decades.  Certainly Marge’s greatest pleasures were her long-term friendships and her family. She relished a gathering, good conversation, and laughter. She was quite the raconteur and prankster; she made sure her kids were trained how to properly short-sheet a bed. She could seemingly without effort put together a fine dinner for friends or family. She created an environment that brought out people’s best.

No memorial or service is planned at this time. Donations in her memory may be made to Plumas Ski Club, Box 4003, Quincy, CA 95971