Martha Ann Williams Murray

Published 10:05 am Friday, March 14, 2025

Mrs. Martha Ann Williams Murray, 82, passed away peacefully on Monday, March 10, 2025 at her home in Arbor Acres, surrounded by her children. Born November 20, 1942, she was the oldest child of Samuel Hodges Williams and Mary Elizbeth Proctor Williams of Washington, NC. She and her sisters, Alice and Nina, grew up in “Little” Washington and spent their summers on the Pamlico River boating, water skiing and enjoying the water. She attended Washington High School and maintained a close friend group from there for the rest of her life.

After high school, Martha Ann came to Winston-Salem and attended Salem College. On a blind date she met her future husband, Walter Murray, who was attending Wake Forest. Legend is the first date wasn’t a hit, but they reconnected later and were together from that moment on. They married in 1962 while she was still in school and built a life together full of joy and happiness that lasted almost 60 years until Walt’s passing two years ago. Their marriage was an example to us all of what it means to be committed to someone. They absolutely adored each other and we never remembered a cross word or argument. Our life with them was full of fun, love and humor.

She and Dad shared many common interests including extensive travel; especially enjoying trips to Europe and the many river cruises there, golfing together at the weekly Sundowners golf event at Forsyth Country Club, regularly attending plays and performances at the NC School of the Arts, the Stephens Center in Winston-Salem, the playhouses of Abingdon, VA and maintaining an active social life in the Arbor Acres community where they made many new friends. They spent many winters in Sanibel Island at the Island Beach Club. They loved their time at Sanibel with the friends they made there. She talked Dad into taking ballroom dancing lessons and they loved dancing on cruises, in dance clubs with friends or usually, just the two of them at home on the dance floor they installed.

The funeral director asked us what her occupation was. After we told him what she did, he put Homemaker down. She was that, but she was also so much more. True, she kept us fed with a home-cooked family meal every night, kissed our scrapes and bruises and made them better, made sure we did our homework and were prepared for school, hauled us to practices and games and supported us however we needed it. But she was so much more. She designed, decorated and acted as general contractor for the “family home”. She managed the household finances, tended a huge garden and taught herself to can and preserve the produce and fruit they grew. When we needed new clothes she usually sewed them herself (until we got older and needed something a little more stylish, it was the 1970’s and fabric selection after a certain age wasn’t cool anymore). She was interested in computers before everyone had one and went back to school and got a degree in computer science. She was a competent artist in virtually every medium she tried, including painting, pen and ink drawings, calligraphy, crochet and knitting. But she found her true passion in quilting. She was the president of the Piedmont Quilting Guild for a period of time and produced award-winning quilts for years. We all have a “Nana” quilt she made from scratch that are family heirlooms to us. They were made with love and affection, each one with their own meaning to the recipient. In between all of that, she was also a voracious reader, easily reading a book a day.

She was an amazing mother to three very different children and managed to meet each of our individual needs. She inspired and encouraged Beth’s artistic path and became her best friend, she delighted in David and called him the “meat” in the children sandwich and she passed her love of reading and antiquing to Charlie. We all had our own very special relationship with her.  We are incredibly sad she is gone from us now but thankful her suffering has ended. We know that she is finally at rest and in peace with Dad and will get to have that last dance with him like he wanted.

Left to cherish her memory are her children Charlie (Susan) Murray, David (Kathy) Murray and Beth Murray; grandchildren Rebecca (Marisa) Murray, Sam (Kaitlyn) Murray, David Murray, Stephen Leverton and Parker Leverton; great grandchild Wren Murray; and sister Nina (Jack) Mustard and sister-in-law Hazel Murray.

There will be a visitation Sunday, March 16, 2025 from 2:00 to 4:00 at Salem Funeral Services, 2951 Reynolda Road, Winston-Salem.

In lieu of flowers, Martha Ann requested that donations be made to SECU Family House, 1790 Baldwin Lane, Winston-Salem NC 27103. Condolences may be shared online at www.salemfh.com.