Passed away peacefully at home on Monday, September 4, 2017. Born in Hilo on May 26, 1926, to Martin Frederick and Ella Murray Grune. He grew up in Honolulu but would stay in Lanikai in the summers where he learned to love the ocean and all forms of fishing. Murray graduated from Roosevelt High School with the Class of 1944 and joined the US Navy, serving on Midway Island as an airfield fireman until the end of World War II. After the war he returned to Honolulu, enrolled at the University of Hawaii Manoa and graduated from UH Manoa with a BA. He went on to graduate school at Stanford University and received a Masters Degree in Economics. When Murray was at the UH, a mutual friend introduced him to a young lady from Northern California, Marjorie Maas, who was vacationing in Honolulu. They subsequently reunited at Stanford when Murray was working on his Master's Degree and Marjorie on her Undergraduate Degree. After graduating, the two were wed in Burlingame, California in 1951. They returned to Honolulu where Murray had received an employment offer to enter the management training program at Castle & Cooke, Inc. Murray settled into a career at Castle & Cooke Terminals, Ltd., where he rose in the ranks to President in the mid-1970s. In 1984 Murray had the opportunity to lead a leveraged buyout of Castle & Cooke Terminals, Ltd. from Castle & Cooke, Inc. and Hawaii Stevedores, Inc. (HSI) was formed to continue the important work of loading & unloading vessels calling at the ports of Hawaii. Murray worked with many business and labor leaders over his long career in the maritime industry and served on various boards. One of the boards he became very passionate about was the Iolani School Board on which he served for more than 20 years. Murray really enjoyed working with his hands, whether it was building cabinets in his wood shop or helping friends and neighbors; he was a real 'handy man' that loved tinkering with anything mechanical. Murray always loved the ocean and was never without a boat. Over the span of his life he owned various boats culminating in his commissioning of the last 'haole sampan' ever built in Hawaii, the 41 foot Nalu Kea, which he helped build alongside Hisao Murakami and his son Keith Murakami. Murray enjoyed fishing and cruising in the Nalu Kea with family & friends. On various trips, the Nalu Kea transited the Hawaiian Island chain from Kaula Rock, off Niihau, all the way to South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Nalu Kea operates out of Honokahau Harbor today. Murray was predeceased by his Sister DJ and brother Freddy. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Marj, his daughter Caryn Wagner (Paul) and sons Randy (Anna), Martin (Melanie), Sterrett (Jennifer), and seven grandchildren. A Celebration of Life will be held at Kahala Nui between 4:00 and 5:30 on Friday, September 29. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Iolani School and/or St. Francis Hospice.
Passed away peacefully at home on Monday, September 4, 2017. Born in Hilo on May 26, 1926, to Martin Frederick and Ella Murray Grune. He grew up in Honolulu but would stay in Lanikai in the summers where he learned to love the ocean and all forms of fishing. Murray graduated from Roosevelt High School with the Class of 1944 and joined the US Navy, serving on Midway Island as an airfield fireman until the end of World War II. After the war he returned to Honolulu, enrolled at the University of Hawaii Manoa and graduated from UH Manoa with a BA. He went on to graduate school at Stanford University and received a Masters Degree in Economics. When Murray was at the UH, a mutual friend introduced him to a young lady from Northern California, Marjorie Maas, who was vacationing in Honolulu. They subsequently reunited at Stanford when Murray was working on his Master's Degree and Marjorie on her Undergraduate Degree. After graduating, the two were wed in Burlingame, California in 1951. They returned to Honolulu where Murray had received an employment offer to enter the management training program at Castle & Cooke, Inc. Murray settled into a career at Castle & Cooke Terminals, Ltd., where he rose in the ranks to President in the mid-1970s. In 1984 Murray had the opportunity to lead a leveraged buyout of Castle & Cooke Terminals, Ltd. from Castle & Cooke, Inc. and Hawaii Stevedores, Inc. (HSI) was formed to continue the important work of loading & unloading vessels calling at the ports of Hawaii. Murray worked with many business and labor leaders over his long career in the maritime industry and served on various boards. One of the boards he became very passionate about was the Iolani School Board on which he served for more than 20 years. Murray really enjoyed working with his hands, whether it was building cabinets in his wood shop or helping friends and neighbors; he was a real 'handy man' that loved tinkering with anything mechanical. Murray always loved the ocean and was never without a boat. Over the span of his life he owned various boats culminating in his commissioning of the last 'haole sampan' ever built in Hawaii, the 41 foot Nalu Kea, which he helped build alongside Hisao Murakami and his son Keith Murakami. Murray enjoyed fishing and cruising in the Nalu Kea with family & friends. On various trips, the Nalu Kea transited the Hawaiian Island chain from Kaula Rock, off Niihau, all the way to South Point on the Big Island of Hawaii. The Nalu Kea operates out of Honokahau Harbor today. Murray was predeceased by his Sister DJ and brother Freddy. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Marj, his daughter Caryn Wagner (Paul) and sons Randy (Anna), Martin (Melanie), Sterrett (Jennifer), and seven grandchildren. A Celebration of Life will be held at Kahala Nui between 4:00 and 5:30 on Friday, September 29. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Iolani School and/or St. Francis Hospice.
Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased
