In memoriam: Funeral notices, April 2, 2019

KIRSCH, Mary L.

89, passed from this earthly life unexpectedly, on March 29, 2019. Mary was born in Shelby, Ohio and moved to Tucson with her husband, David, in 1977. Mary was recognized for her organizational skills and was promoted to Business Manager of the Optical Sciences department at the UofA, where she retired. Mary was an active member of Streams in the Desert Lutheran Church where she sang in the choir. Mary loved volunteering and helping others. Among her many talents she was an accomplished seamstress and in her senior years danced with Tap Sensations. She was preceded in death by her husband, David and is survived by her children, Jeff Kirsch (Jackie Spellman) of Palm Springs, Susan Hill (David) of Mansfield, Ohio and Cynthia Mangum (Bill) of Tucker, GA; her sister, Frances Haverfield of Shelby, Ohio; two grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Mary's Memorial Service will be held Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 3:00 p.m. at Streams in the Desert Lutheran Church, 5360 E. Pima St., Tucson. In lieu of flowers she requested donations to Streams in the Desert Church. Arrangements by EAST LAWN PALMS MORTUARY.

MURRAY, Helen Marjorie Keen (Mom) July 24, 1923 - March 26, 2019

We are sad to report that our mom, Helen K. Murray, passed away on March 26, 2019, but we are happy that she was able to live a very active and full life up until just a few years ago. Our mom is survived by her two sons, Richard (Bobbie) and Tim, and her two daughters, Rebecca (Frank) and Cynthia, and a number of grandkids, great- grandkids, and one great-great- granddaughter. She was preceded death by her husband, Dick; our sister, Martha and our brothers, John and Kevin. Our mom was born in Chipping Camden, England, in 1923, and her mother brought her and her brother, Paul, to the United States in the early 1920's shortly after her artist/father, Edgar Keen, came to the United States to work. The Keen family had to move around a lot during mom's early years because of our grandfather's work as a wood and stone carver, but they finally were able to settle in beautiful Warner, New Hampshire where our mom lived until she graduated from high school. After finishing high school, our mom went to nursing school at Mary Hitchcock in Hannover, New Hampshire. While attending nursing school she met our father, Richard (Dick) Y. Murray. Our dad was a student at Dartmouth College in Hannover and he was also our mom's first patient. After getting engaged, our folks move to Tucson and were married at St. Peter & Paul Church, and ended up purchasing a home in the Sam Hughes neighborhood near the UofA where they raised us kids. We felt we were very lucky to have a stay-at-home mom while we were growing up. Once the baby of the family (Kevin) started high school our mom went back into nursing. After going back into nursing she went to work at University Hospital (Now Banner) working in the newborn nursery where she had the opportunity to care for three of her grandchildren that were born at the hospital. Mom had many fond memories of the many summers she spent in Estes Park, Colorado, vacationing with our dad, and the family vacations we had touring in Mexico and staying on a farm in Mexico near Saltillo. She also loved to reminisce about the experience of living in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, during the years our dad worked for the US Government. A number of us had the good fortune to travel with our mom on trips to Europe and New Zealand, and to go with her to her home town of Chipping Camden while visiting England. Quite a few of us also had the chance to accompany her to New Hampshire for her get-togethers and visits with her high school classmates. While on these trips to New Hampshire we always included side trips with our mom to the surrounding States in New England. We're sure most folks who knew her would agree that our mom was a real character, and that she was a person that always spoke her mind. Our mom was a strong woman in many ways and always seemed to know how to face adversity. We will always be grateful for the care that our mom gave our father who was seriously affected by polio for most of his life. We're going to miss you mom, but we will always be thankful that you had many years of good health and happiness and for being our mom. Visitation: Wednesday, April 3, 2019, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. with a Rosary recitation at 7:00 p.m. at ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Dodge Chapel, 1050 N. Dodge Blvd., Tucson, AZ, 85716. Funeral Mass Thursday, April 11, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Ambrose Church, 300 S. Tucson Blvd. Interment will follow at South Lawn Cemetery, 5401 S. Park Ave., Tucson, Arizona.