Eloise Gay Murray

(July 31, 1923 – May 19, 2018)

ELOISE GAY BRAWLEY MURRAY (a.k.a. “Grandma Weezy”); Eastern Airlines Stewardess; Southern Belle and Northern Transplant; lover of all things BLUE, dedicated wife, mother, and homemaker; enthusiastic genealogist; descendant of Pocahontas; and above all, a happy Albionite, died peacefully at her home in Albion, MI on Saturday, May 19th, 2018 after a brief illness.

Eloise was 94 at the time of her death, living in her dream home on the Kalamazoo River built in 1968 with her husband, Donald M. Murray, who preceded her in death in 2004.

Eloise was born in Atlanta, Georgia at the Emory University Hospital on July 31, 1923, and grew up in Decatur, GA with her parents, Eloise Gay Brawley and William Foote Brawley and her two brothers, William (“Bill”) and Bolling Brawley. She graduated from Decatur Girls High School then attended college for two years at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA. As the story goes, one day in 1945 she was sitting on Daytona Beach with her best friend and said, “I think I’ll become an airline stewardess”. Her friend was shocked not so much about the plan as much as her observation that our then-future mother was not known for heeding well to strict schedules. Nevertheless, she persisted, and the airline industry was better for it: She worked happily for Eastern Airlines from 1945 – 1952. Eloise always spoke very fondly of those days on the classic DC-3 airplanes, which flew low enough to the ground to get spectacular aerial views of the land below, not to mention the adventures awaiting her in each new city.

Despite the many people she met all over the country, it was in her own southern hometown where she met the man who would become her husband. She was set up with another man on a double blind date, but she and her friend switched dates during the evening. She was more attracted to the athletic, handsome, and self- assured “Yankee,” Don Murray, who was serving in the U.S. Army teaching survival swimming to overseas service personnel. She and Don were married in Morningside Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA, on October 18, 1952.

As a Post-World War II bride of “the Greatest Generation,” Eloise moved with her new husband from the sultry south to the town of Albion, in the ‘snow-mitten’ state of Michigan, trading in her southern grits for Don’s Meat ‘n Potatoes meals. She adopted her new city and state with open arms and enthusiasm in the same way its citizens happily adopted this charming belle with a lilting accent that never really went away, including a double-syllable “Yeeessss”, that represented her open arms toward all of life.

Eloise dearly loved the river, the wildlife and all of the beauty of nature surrounding her home. She had a particularly tender heart for feeding the birds during the long Michigan winters, as well as feeding her beloved hummingbirds in the springtime. Not only did she allow the deer to nibble on her shrubbery in the winter, she was also delighted by a flying squirrel that found refuge in the interior of her home one particularly cold season.

In her earlier years in Albion, Eloise and Don enjoyed participating in the “Sixty Club” events and bridge tournaments, volunteering at local voting precincts, and enjoying summer family vacations in northern Michigan. Eloise was a member of the Albion E.L.T. club, which Don famously referred to as “Elegant Ladies Tea.” She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and in her later years became keenly interested in genealogy and all of the history and stories we could learn about from all those who came before us. She felt that being descended from the “American royalty” of Pocahontas was much more interesting than any possible links to kings or queens of yore.

Eloise and Don had three children: Eloise Gay Newton, Atlanta, GA; Glenn M. Murray, St. Louis, MO; and Margaret T. Murray, Atlanta, GA. Her beloved children-in-law include Donald E. Newton, Ann Boll Snyder Murray, and Georgie Parsell Murray.

Her beloved grandchildren, their spouses, step-grandchildren, and great grand-children were the light in her later years: Benjamin Murray, Eric Murray, Meg Klass Murray and their child and Eloise’s namesake, “Weezy”, Chris Snyder and Jennifer Beal Snyder and their child Adilyn, Carrie Snyder, Katie Snyder, Laurie Newton Levy and Jeff Levy and their child Dalia, Becky Newton and Geoff Maulion and their children Maddox and Olivia and sundry grand-dogs and cats.

A private memorial service will be held later this summer for family, close friends and neighbors.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: 1) Albion Fireworks for 4th of July festivities via the Albion Chamber of Commerce, 2) the Albion Historical Society, or 3) Albion College.

The Murray children would like to thank the Albion Community, Eloise’s neighbors over the years on River Bend Drive, and especially her loving local caregivers in the past few years, Karen Konkle Hill and Candy Treacher-Gomez.

To leave online messages of condolence for the family, please visit www.kevintiddfuneralhome.com