Martha M McMurray

Martha M McMurray

Dec. 21, 1932 – Dec. 16, 2023

Martha M. McMurray passed away in Gig Harbor, Wash. on Dec. 16, 2022, at the age of 89. Martha was born on Dec. 21, 1932, one of four daughters born to Edward and Anna (Kessler) Esslinger on a small wheat farm outside of Sprague, Wash. Her parents were German immigrants and only spoke German at home. So Martha only spoke German when she started first grade just before WWII. Luckily, her cousin Joanne McCrady (Kessler) helped her learn English. She learned quickly and was the Valedictorian of her Sprague High School Class.

Martha attended and graduated from the Deaconess School of Nursing in Spokane. She practiced nursing as an RN until her retirement at age 62. Martha married Thomas McMurray of Ritzville, Wash. in 1954 and they had three children: Ann (McMurray) Kahr, Patrick McMurray and Paul McMurray. Tom was a manager for Montgomery Ward and his career kept him, Martha and the kids moving around the Pacific Northwest. Tom and Martha moved to Grants Pass, Ore. in 1982 where they lived for 30 years. They moved to Tacoma, Wash. in 2012 to be closer to family. Tom passed Dec. 11, 2015. He and Martha were married for more than 60 years.

Martha was very involved in her community and Lutheran church. Her passion was quilting and she belonged to three quilting groups. Martha was the featured quilter at the Rogue Valley Piecemakers Quilt Show in 2010 and it was one of her proudest achievements. Martha gave away most of her quilts to family and friends who treasure them to this day. She also made over a hundred quilts for the Grants Pass Rescue Mission and was named Volunteer of the Year.

Martha was a lovely, kind person and the staff at her care facility made sure to tell her family that she was their favorite resident. Martha is survived by her sister Shirley Van Riper, her three children, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. There will be an interment service at 11:00 am, Sat., May 6, 2023, at the Ritzville Memorial Cemetery followed by a luncheon at Ritzville Emanuel Lutheran Church.