Obituary of John Thomas Murray

John Thomas Murray, Sr., age 89, passed away Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at Lake Regional Health System in Osage Beach, Missouri. Tom was born April 2, 1920, in Centralia, Missouri, a son to Charles and Agnes (Burt) Murray. Tom was raised in Cameron, Missouri, where his father owned a drug store and was Post Master. Tom attended school in Cameron and graduated from the Catholic school. He was an Eagle Scout, and graduated from Kansas City school of Pharmacy, a division of the University of Missouri- Kansas City. He was a Pharmacist at the Cameron store as assistant manager until he joined the Navy in December of 1941. He served as a medic, attached to the Marines when they made the landing on Bougainvillea. When on leave, in February 1945, he married Rose Mary Crowley, at St Peter�s Catholic Church in Kansas City, Kansas. After his leave he was assigned to the US Bountiful hospital ship as a Pharmacist mate, until the end of the war. He was a detail man for UpJohn Pharmaceutical Company for seven years and was a Pharmacist at Rene Ryan Prescription Shop in Kansas City Kansas for 13 years. The family moved to Leavenworth where he was a Pharmacist at Miller-Russell Pharmacy. He and his wife also owned Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream store and Rose and their sons operated it. In 1970 he bought Murray Pharmacy in Tonganoxie, Kansas. He then sold the store in 1990. He and Rose Mary retired to the beautiful Lake of the Ozarks in 1998. He was a member of a Barber Shop Quartet and a member of the Kansas Pharmacist Association, Knights of Columbus in Camdenton and was a 4th degree Knight. He is survived by his wife RoseMary of the home; sons, John T., Jr. and his wife Mitsuko of Camdenton, Missouri, Charles M. and his wife Gayle of Blue Springs, Missouri, Gregory B. of Kansas City, Kansas, Alan J. of Kansas City, Missouri, and Christopher M. of San Francisco, California; one daughter, Judith Murray; seven grandchildren and six grandchildren, along with several other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parent�s; one son, James W. in 1979; one brother, Charles Robert in 1979, and one sister, Mary Frances Kemper in 1980.