William "Bill" Richard Murray, 84, of Oak Island, NC died on Friday, November 6, 2026.

Born on August 26, 1942, Bill was raised in Crestwood, New York, and began a life marked by curiosity, humor, and a willingness to embrace new chapters. He graduated from Stepinac High School in White Plains, NY and continued his education at Holy Cross. That same curiosity stayed with him throughout the years and could be seen in the many places he lived, the work he pursued, and the interests he enthusiastically made his own.

Bill served in the United States Navy as an officer aboard the USS Boxer in Norfolk, Virginia, and served in Vietnam. He and his wife Joan then started their family as he built a varied career in sales and marketing. His early work included sales positions with General Foods in California and Texas, followed by Promotion Manager with R.J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem, NC. He later spent 17 years as Director of Promotion and Distribution at L'eggs Pantyhose. His professional life continued to reflect his readiness for adventure and change when he and Joan moved to Budapest, where he worked as a recruitment manager for Personnel Select. After retiring in 1998, he continued exploring fresh opportunities in Pine Knoll Shores, NC, including real estate and bartending.

Bill loved life and delighted in making his own path. He wore cowboy boots to work, drove a bright green pickup truck, and had a garden envied by all. He embraced his Irish heritage, loved to travel, and was known for his good, old-fashioned jokes. He had a gift for befriending everyone he met, making room for conversation, laughter, and connection wherever he went. If something did not exist, he was ready to create it, as he did with the Big Brother Program in Modesto, California, in 1971. That spirit of initiative and engagement remained a defining thread throughout his life.

In recent years, Bill and Joan settled into beach life on Oak Island. He served as an Oak Island Beach Ambassador and loved both teaching and attending weekly history classes at the Barbee Library. He loved Civil War history, reading, cooking, biking, NFL football, and tall glasses of milk. Throughout his life, he continued doing what came naturally to him: connecting with others, sharing what interested him, and taking part in the life around him.

Above all, Bill treasured his family and his role of husband, father, and Papa. He is remembered by his wife of 58 years, Joan Madden Murray; his children, Tom Murray and spouse Lydia, Brian Murray and spouse Mary Edna, and Kathleen Thorell; his grandchildren, Grady Murray and spouse Rachel, Hannah May Clark and spouse Jack, Colin, Ann Marie, Michael, Zack, and Natalie; and his brothers, Robert Murray and spouse Sharon, and Jim Murray and spouse Anita. He is predeceased by his parents, Thomas Francis Murray and Margaret Regan Murray.

Bill’s life was filled with adventure, humor, invention, and deep enjoyment of the world around him, and he will always be remembered with love and appreciation for all he brought to it.

Services will be announced at a later date.

Online memories and condolences may be shared with the family through Brunswick Funeral Service website.