Marcus Peter Murray passed away on January 8, 2025, after a two and a half year battle with cancer. He was 63 years old.
Mark was born in Tillamook, Oregon on November 14, 1961, to Bob and Ellen Murray. After a short time there, the family was transferred to Great Falls for a few years until Bob was discharged from the Airforce and they moved to Butte. A few years later in 1968, the now larger family made their final move to Bozeman. Mark attended Whittier Grade School, Wilson Middle School, Bozeman Junior High, and Bozeman Senior High School graduating in 1980. He went on to attend MSU where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture.
Mark always hated the winters so upon graduation, without a job or even a prospect in hand, he loaded all of his belongings in the car (1970’s POS Pinto) and headed south landing in Mesa, Arizona. He worked odd jobs while sending out resumes to everyone in the area before being hired by Associated Architects where he went on to become a minor partner and work for nearly 40 years until the time of his death.
In his downtime, Mark enjoyed walking and golf. He hadn’t been able to hit the links because of his health the last few years, but played many rounds with his brother on PS5 to fill the void. In more recent years, the family began renting a motorhome for a week in the summer to take our mother out camping. He looked forward to those trips and attended every year. He enjoyed the outdoor time, fishing, boating, floating and just relaxing with a cocktail around a campfire.
His true passion though was work. When asked his plans for retirement, without hesitation he would respond that he was going to work until the day he died. He nearly did, working up until the last two weeks when he was in the hospital. It wasn’t a chore or duty for him, rather something he truly loved to do. He even lamented not being able to work while he was in the hospital at the end. Those he worked with became his extended family and were an incredible help to him during the course of his illness.
Mark is preceded in death by his father Bob. He is survived by his mother, Ellen; brothers, Bob and Steve; and his sisters, Colleen (Lane) and Marianne (Andy).
Funeral Mass will be held at Holy Rosary Catholic Church on Wednesday, January 15th at 12 P.M. noon.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, donations in Mark’s name can be made to St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
