Haruko "Kay" Murray

Kay Murray, 89, held hands again with her beloved husband, Eugene Joseph “Ted” Murray, in Heaven, on Friday, June 26, 2020.

Born and raised in Okinawa, Japan, Kay was the fifth of six children in her family. She endured a lot at a young age, losing her mother at the age of nine. A few years later, she and her family were directly affected by the attacks from the U.S. in World War II. Kay’s family home was burned down and they were forced to become refugees moving from Ourasaki to Henoko. Her father passed away while in Henoko, leaving her a great sadness. They had a father/daughter bond like no other which impacted Kay for the rest of her life.

In 1972, Kay met Ted at a party in Okinawa and they were wed in 1976. They enjoyed a full life together while in Japan as they loved going to friends’ parties and spending most of their time together. Kay crafted and sewed Aloha shirts for their friends and even sold them in the city of Naha. She continued this craft until that same sewing machine broke down earlier this year which she took as a message from the Lord that it was time to finish!

In 1979, she and Ted moved to the United States and settled in Roberta, Georgia. Unfortunately, Ted had a heart attack a few years after moving back to the U.S. so Kay began work as a dressmaker to support her family. She worked as a seamstress for about 15 years before joining Ted in retirement. In Kay and Ted’s retirement, they often visited Mexico Beach where she became obsessed with the shells on the beautiful white sand. She took to making flowers and other knick-knacks out of the shells and colored them with Ted’s help. They submitted five pieces of their work to the Georgia National Fair in 2004 and won prizes for all five crafts! Eleven years later, Kay submitted more of her craft work and again received five awards for her creativity. She said that winning these awards gave her a sense of acceptance that she longed for since moving to the U.S. from her home country of Japan.

Kay and Ted joined Central Baptist Church in 1999. Ted was baptized on January 31st of that same year, but Kay decided to wait as she learned more about the Lord through the Bible. In 2005, Ted and Kay were honored to be a part of Central Baptist’s “ground-breaking” at their new location on Lake Joy Road, which Kay fondly remembered being excited to use her own little shovel from Roberta. That same year, she and Ted received an offer to buy their house from some church friends. They accepted the offer and went on to build a house in Warner Robins to be closer to their church family. The blessings continued as Kay also began a business with a friend from Dublin, sewing scrubs for nurses in nursing homes. When her friend became ill, Kay kept the business going by making pants for children in Africa as Christmas gifts. She had only planned to do this for one Christmas, but ultimately ended up making 1,029 pants from 2005 until 2020!

She was preceded in death by her mother, father, and brother.

Kay had nothing but gratitude for all of the friends and loved ones who survive her, but she carried special relationships with her stepdaughters, Pat and Bo; her step-granddaughter, Amy, and her grand-niece, Riki. She said that she was only here because of everybody who helped her along the way.

A memorial service celebrating Kay’s life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, July 1, 2020, in the chapel of McCullough Funeral Home. She will be laid to rest next to her husband, Ted, in Andersonville National Cemetery at a later date.

Learn more about the measures McCullough Funeral Home is taking to ensure the health and safety of our guests at mcculloughfh.com. There you can also sign an Online Registry for the family. McCullough Funeral Home and Crematory has the privilege of being entrusted with these arrangements.