William 'Bill' J. Murray

William J. Murray went home to be with his Lord after a difficult, but mercifully brief, battle with pneumonia. Determined to the end, Bill fought longer than his doctor thought possible. He ended his fight with four generations of the family that idolized him by his side. Bill was born on April 5, 1924, in Coffeeville, KS, to William and Daisy Murray, and was reunited with Dot, his beloved wife of 64 years, on the afternoon of June 28, 2012, in Prescott, Arizona. Bill’s unwavering devotion to Dot for those 64 years of marriage, and then even after she passed away, was inspiring to those who saw it. He was also preceded in death by his son Larry Murray and daughter-in-law Babs Murray. He is survived by his younger brother and sister-in-law, Ralph and Barbara Murray of Phoenix, son and daughter-in-law Michael and Sandra Murray of Colorado, daughter and son-in-law Kathy and Ronnie Seets of Prescott, brother-in-law Art King of Prescott, grandchildren Autumn (Michael) Rucci of Illinois, Chris Murray and Lorna (Mike) Christoff of Colorado, Matt (Dawn) Murray of California, Tan Murray, Amy Seets Moore and (beloved grandson-in-law Chriss Moore), JW Seets, and Nate Seets (and beloved granddaughter-in-law Crystal Seets), all of Prescott. In addition, Bill leaves 9 great-grandchildren: Tye Seets, Wyatt Seets, Kira Seets, Hawken Seets, and Emma Seets, all of Prescott, Eli Kimbrell and Sara Kimbrell of Illinois, Aiden Murray of California, and Brandon Murray of Nevada, as well as several nieces and nephews. Bill was a true Patriot. As a WWII veteran, he received an Asiatic Pacific campaign medal, a Philippine Liberation Ribbon with a Bronze Star, a Good Conduct medal, a Bronze Service Arrowhead, and a WWII Victory medal. During his service in the United States Army, he met Art King, the man who introduced him to the love of his life - and then became his brother in law. Bill raced stock cars and loved to recount stories about it. He was proud to have been a long time member of the Smoki People. He worked in many places as a mechanic, including the City Of Prescott and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. There was nothing he couldn’t fix! After retiring, he just enjoyed spending time with family, teaching his grandkids to drive, and working on their cars. He taught them a lot - he and one grandson restored a 1959 Ford truck, which was the boy‘s first truck. He taught his granddaughter how to rebuild a transmission when she was only 16. When he became a Great-Grandpa, he and Great-Grandma were enamored. They even volunteered to be “daycare”! He impacted his family’s lives immeasurably. He was proud to have one of his great-grandsons follow in his footsteps when he leaves in two months to begin his service in the US Army. Bill was so proud of all his family - as they were of him. It seemed he knew everything. “Ask Grandpa” was a standard response to many questions family members had. He always had an answer. There was nothing he wouldn‘t do for his family. He was an amazing man whose twinkling blue eyes, quick grin, silly sayings, wisdom, and boundless love will be missed sorely. Tap ‘er light, Grandpa.