David P. Murray, 66, an Air Force veteran and former human-resources executive for St. Joseph Hospital, died Tuesday, Feb. 19, in Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago of injuries related to a traffic accident. Raised in Iron Mountain, Mich., Mr. Murray attended seminary in high school and college but decided not to become a priest. In the 1950s, he learned to speak Chinese and served in the Air Force, intercepting and translating messages. He then held a series of executive-level jobs before going into the heath-care field. In 1977, Mr. Murray met his wife, Kathleen, at Bethesda Hospital in Cincinnati, where he was a vice president for human resources and she was vice president of nursing. They married in 1979, living first in Milwaukee, where they both worked in hospitals, then moving to Chicago in 1986. Mr. Murray worked for St. Joseph Hospital for about five years before retiring in 1991. After retirement, Mr. Murray returned to college, earning a degree in education from DePaul University. He planned to teach high school history, his wife said. Mr. Murray read extensively, mostly historical biographies, his wife said, and believed in continuing education, taking courses in many topics, including the Civil War and the New Testament. Mr. Murray enjoyed classical music, gardening, golf, travel and cooking. “He was a great cook and he loved to cook for big crowds of people,” his wife said. “When I shut my eyes, I see Dave in the kitchen, cooking for friends.” Other survivors include a sister, Mary Lynn Lardenoit. Funeral services have been held.
