Diane Marie Murray

             Diane Marie (Miller) Murray, of DuPont, Washington, was called to her heavenly home on May 30, 2020 at the age of 64.  She passed away peacefully at home, with her husband at her side, due to complications from COPD and rheumatoid arthritis. 

             Born in Fort Ord, California on 15 February 1956, Diane grew up as an Army brat and the middle child with two brothers.  She spent time in Hawaii, traveled to Ethiopia where she discovered love for the Ethiopian people, culture, area, and a love for horses, especially riding; she also spent time in Kansas, then Minnesota during the year her father was in Vietnam and then in Fort Lewis Washington where she met her husband.  Diane found a job at the Fort Lewis Officers’ club working alongside another young busboy, John Charles Murray.  Over the course of 9 months she fell in love, accepted John’s proposal, and married on 28 November 1975.

            Diane’s strength of character, integrity, and strong Christian Faith inspired John to leave a life of non-direction and loss of prior Christian beginning-faith to a US Navy career and renewed Christian growth.  Diane’s personal strength and ability to work together as a team with John along with being led by faith ensured both Diane and John began their life as a couple properly inspired and driven by child-like Christian determination.  Diane constantly strengthened the bonds of love between herself and John, lifting herself and John as a couple from just another couple to two people united around each other’s souls working toward fulfilling life’s goals in a Christ-inspired way.

            Married life for Diane and John began in Steilacoom, WA.  Their first move as a Navy couple was to Chicago, IL.  The first try at becoming a larger family ended in a miscarriage, a painful time shared by both Diane and John.  Again, Diane showed her strength by rising above the pain and maintaining faith toward what was set before her and John.  Diane and John then went to Orlando, FL, followed by Pocatello, ID, where her first son, John Will, was born.  There would be more traveling along with separation from John where Diane was the parent while John spent time at sea both preparing for and being on deployment.  Eventually Diane and John wound up living on Miramar Naval Air Station, CA where her second son, Joel Arthur, was born.  Through more time with a larger family, together and separated from John due to Naval obligations, Diane remained the spiritual center and strength that ensured the proper growth of and continued existence of her family as a strong unit in an occupation for John where many other couples did not survive as couples and many other families broke apart.  When Diane and John found themselves at Bremerton, WA her daughter, Kara Marie, was born.

            As Diane’s family matured, she also went through a change in career path with John as John switched from an enlisted career path to a path as an officer.  This phase of Diane’s life saw her guiding her children from adolescence to young adults while the separations from John were even more frequent.  She oversaw the growth of children to adults who completed Masters’ degrees in Seminary and then Counselling programs and another who followed Eagle Scout wings to a career path in IT.  Diane encouraged her daughter to become her own person then look to build a relationship with another then build a family.  Diane also had unique experiences during this time, including handing a recording of some of her music to Gary Puckett and took multiple photo ops with celebrities like Tommy Smothers and Don Johnson to perfect her pose.

            Diane’s time after Naval career with John was a series of tests of her strength of character and her faith as she went through one physical trial into another, heart surgery to complete lower jaw replacement to extensive foot and ankle surgeries on both feet to the debilitating and final battles with rheumatoid arthritis and COPD that was complicated with severe chronic pain and osteo-myelitis.  She maintained strong Christian faith, love for John, and positive example for all her family throughout everything.

            Diane had the most giving of hearts, never tiring of loving anyone, and always exemplified steadfast, unassuming, unconditional love.  She loved to create, whether it was original musical numbers on the piano or carefully crafted jewelry.  Above everything else, Diane was a loving wife, mother and grandmother, whose loving, nurturing heart will live on in her children and grandchildren.

            Diane is survived by her husband of 44 years, John Charles; her brothers, Jeff Miller and Scott Miller; her three children, John Will (and his wife, Samantha), Joel Arthur (his partner, Astrid, and children, Kyle, Casey, Cooper, Brody, and Vivian), and Kara Marie (and her children, Adrianna, Elijah, and Alexander); as well as many cousins, nieces, and nephews. 

            Despite the many and significant challenges she faced over her life, she remained an optimist and a fighter to the end.  Diane is Faith, Hope, and Love.  She is in a better place with Jesus Christ, her Lord and Savior.  She now grows in His Likeness while we wait to be together with her again.

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