Cornelius Murray

Cornelius (Connie) William Murray, age 70, of Williamsburg, VA, Worcester, MA, and Alexander, ME, passed unexpectedly on October 6, 2022, in Williamsburg, VA.

He was born to Paul W. Murray and Therese McCarthy Murray (Worcester, MA) in Worcester, on August 17, 1952.

Connie graduated from College of the Holy Cross as a member of ROTC and served in the Marine Corps from 1974-1981.  He met a young teacher, Jeanne Richards, at a Marine Corps holiday party in Washington DC.  After a whirlwind romance, they married on June 26, 1976, and started their idyllic married life in Hawaii.  Upon completion of service, he had attained the rank of Captain.  Connie then went on to obtain his MBA at Pace University.

Post Marine Corps, Connie work for PepsiCo for 16 years in many capacities, starting as a warehouse supervisor in Warwick, RI.  He then spent 14 years at The Coca Cola Company and finished his career in New Delhi, India, as VP of Manufacturing India.  Connie loved to say they spent their lives as corporate gypsies.

Connie was able to retire at age 57.  He and Jeanne spent the early part of retirement between River Landing, NC, and their summer home in Maine.  They relocated to Williamsburg, VA, in 2019. Connie and Jeanne continued to enjoy summers on Lake Pocomoonshine in Maine, and loved having family and friends visit.

Connie had many passions, including golf, fishing, celebrating his Scottish heritage (by hoisting a wee dram), and being the resident handyman. He and Jeanne were also world travelers and have explored all corners of the world, making many wonderful friends along the way.

Connie is survived by the love of his life, Jeanne, to whom he was married for 46 years.  Connie has 3 married children:  Kathryn (Murray) and Joseph Donadoni of Ashburn, VA; Bryan and Julie (Dietrick) Murray, of Arnold, MD; and Kevin and Leslie (Rautzhan) Murray of Pottsville, PA.  He also has 7 grandchildren: Meagan (18), Molly (16) and Emily (13) Donadoni; Brynn (8) and Grace (5) Murray; and Keegan (9) and Tristan (6) Murray. He is also survived by his sister, Mary (Murray) Vargas and her husband, Frank Vargas of Stonington, CT, as well as his brother-in-law, Dana Richards of The Villages, FL.

All who knew and loved Connie can attest to his zest for life, his gregarious personality, and his willingness to lend a hand.  He will be dearly missed by his family and friends.  Connie’s sound advice to all is to “read the book!”

Services were held on Friday, October 14, 2022, 1pm, at Bruton Parish, 201 W. Duke of Gloucester St., Williamsburg, VA.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Anne’s Episcopal Church, 29 Church St., Calais, ME, 04619; CapeFearHabitat.org; and RedCross.org.