In Memoriam

It was sad to hear that Mr. Vern Petersen had passed away on March 19, 2023. Murray students will remember Mr. Petersen as both a teacher and coach. He taught social studies, health, Phys Ed -- and drivers ed, too. He coached many different sports during his career at Murray, but was especially fond of baseball. His obituary mentioned he had been recruited when he was in college to play minor league baseball and was drafted by a major league team. He gave up that career and became a teacher.

A visitation will be held Friday, April 7, 2023 from 9am to 10am, with the Funeral Service immediately following at 10am. Both will be held at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 2741 Yellowstone Blvd., Anoka, MN 55303. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to www.YouthPrise.org, a statewide program that benefits disadvantaged youth.

Many former Murray band members were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of their beloved teacher and mentor, Alton F. Burns. We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mr. Burns, former band and music teacher at Murray High School and at Como High School. Mr. Burns was 84 years old and was admired by numerous students from his many years of teaching and sharing his love of music.

There will be a visitation from 4-6pm, Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at Bradshaw Funeral Home, 4600 Greenhaven Dr., White Bear Lake, MN. A private family interment will take place at Union Cemetery, White Bear Lake. Memorials preferred to the Alzheimer's Association.

Our deepest sympathies go to the family and friends of Jack Moynagh, history teacher and coach at Murray High School for many years. Mr. Moynagh was 84 years old when he died, and had lived a full, rewarding life. You can read more about his many interests and acomplishments in his obituary (see link below). Many students appreciated his exceptional coaching abilities and learned a lot from Mr. Moynagh. He could be very tough, but he was usually very fair, too. We will miss you Mr. Moynagh!

Visitation will be 4:00 - 8:00pm Tuesday April 12th at the Willwerscheid Funeral Home, 1167 Grand Ave., St. Paul and also 1 hour prior to mass on Wednesday (10:00 - 11:00am). Mass of Christian Burial 11:00am Wednesday April 13th at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 835 2nd Ave. NW, New Brighton 55112. (651) 633-8333.

We were so sad to hear that Medora "Ma" Brown has passed away at age 91. She meant a lot to all her students. She was a fun person and a brilliant home-ec teacher. Ma Brown attended at least one of our reunions and we were so thankful to see her again. Thanks to Anne Merrill for sharing the news. We will miss her!

Update: Medora Brown's Celebration of Life will happen on August 21, 2021 from 1-3pm at Earley Lake Park, 14625 County Road 5
Burnsville, MN  55337. Picnic lunch 1-2pm; Service 2-3pm. In lieu of flowers, please bring a flower from your garden to create a Memory Bouquet. There will be an opportunity for attendees to share "what I remember most about Medora" during the service. Donations will be used to purchase a tree to be planted in the Regent garden. If you are unable to attend, the service will be viewable via Zoom, but you'll need to request a Zoom invitation: achenbachp@gmail.com.

It was very sad to learn that the beloved Ms. Rusch had passed away. She was a gifted and brilliant musician and teacher. So many Murray students were influenced by her love of music while taking her choir classes. She will be missed - but never forgotten.

We were saddened to hear the news that teacher and hockey coach Jack Pearson passed away January 25, 2016. Our sympathies to his family, friends and loved ones. He was one-of-a-kind and loved by his students. It was so nice to see him in those last few years along the route of the 4th of July parade in St. Anthony Park. We would always sing the Murray school song for him as we marched. He and his wife, Beverly, attended our reunions and were so appreciative of being invited and being remembered! Jim Pollard reports that there were many Murray alums at his visitation – including a 1964 grad in his letter jacket!

We were so sad to hear that Frank Gruber, Industrial Arts teacher at Murray, had passed away on his birthday in late June 2010. He was 90 years old. Mr. Gruber was a four-time city all-around gymnastics champion, a U.S. Navy officer and aviator in WWII. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, he taught Industrial Arts in the St. Paul School System for over 20 years. He was also the owner and operator of Kiddie Amusement Co., which operated the train and tractor rides in Como Park for 24 years. Frank had moved to Key Largo, Florida and was enjoying his retirement. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Mr. Line was a well-liked Social Studies teacher and a student council advisor at Murray High School. He had a wonderful sense of humor, taught enthusiastically, and inspired many of his students to excel. He was an admirer of Alf Landon and kept a small bust of Landon on his desk -- until a few of his students kidnapped it and held it for ransom. Mr. Line was not amused. No ransom was paid, and the bust was returned unharmed. The perpetrators apologized. He took the incident in stride (and never called the authorities), which endeared him to us forever. We were very sad to hear that he had passed away in 2003. Our sincere condolences to his family, friends and all his students who loved him.

Madame Goffstein was a beloved French teacher at Murray for many years. She shared her love of the French language and culture with thousands of students during her teaching career. We were deeply saddened to hear Madame had passed away in 1999, and offer our condolences to her family and all her former students. Au revoir Madame! Repose en paix Madame Goffstein. Nous aurons une petite fête quand nous vous reverra.

Mr. Broderick was an excellent Algebra teacher and coach to the Murray cross country team for many years. He was a kind and compassionate person, but a no-nonsense kind of teacher. Mr. Broderick was always willing to help explain a problem to a student and had infinite patience. He inspired his students to do their best, which would explain why the athletes he coached on the cross country team pushed themselves to do well in competitions. Rest in peace, Mr. Broderick. You will live on in our memories.

Mr. Mastbaum was an excellent math and calculus teacher, and the only Ph.D at Murray. He could be boisterous and loud, but he knew how to get through to his students. We were truly saddened to hear of his passing. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. His students will remember him always.

Biology was a required course, and Mr. Ritter had the pleasure of teaching the course to almost every junior high school student. Everyone had their own "Mr. Ritter" experience. One memory shared by many was how intimidating he could be because of his physical size and his large personality. Others have said that when the class wasn't grasping his concepts, he would jokingly say "Biology, you amoebas... you paramecium." He had high expectations of his students and expected them to complete assignments and do their best. Mr. Ritter was also coach of the baseball and football teams, and we're fairly certain he expected his players to perform their best as well. Rest in peace, Mr. Ritter. We will never forget you!

Mr. Heron was an excellent Social Studies teacher, and he often shared stories of his travels around the world with his students. He enjoyed incorporating some of his personal experiences into his lessons, which made for interesting and thought-provoking discussions. He had a long and successful teaching career, and taught thousands of students. We were very sad to hear of his passing just 2 years after we graduated.