Gloria Rempe Murray

CARY- Gloria Rempe Murray, 83, passed away Friday, August 28, 2020. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she was the daughter of the late Clement and Luella Welch Rempe. Gloria graduated from Mount Mary College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy. On a 1957 spring break trip in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, she met a tall, handsome man from the University of Notre Dame, which she often joked about as a goal. Gloria and John Thomas Murray were married two years later in 1959. They went on to have five children from 1961-1970. In the early years before their children were born, Gloria worked as a mental health worker and counselor to unwed mothers. While the children were young, she found time to volunteer in all the Catholic churches where they belonged. She had a special place in her heart for children with special needs, so she sought opportunities to support them. In 1975, she officially began her career as an Occupational Therapist at Havern School, an elementary school specializing in children with learning disabilities, located in Lakewood, Colorado and operated by the Sisters of Loretto. She loved working with her students, but also loved learning about the field of Occupational Therapy. Throughout her career, she specialized in sensory integration therapy and served as a mentor to her colleagues in this area. She continued learning and specializing in the field, working into her mid-70’s with Creative Hands Occupational Therapy in Southport, NC, when she retired. Her love for learning was also evident in her personal life. She was an avid, self-taught quilter, but also had a passion for sewing, doing needlepoint and any other available craft. Her greatest loves were spending time with her family and friends, traveling and her crafts. Her entire life, she was a social person. Gloria loved to play any sort of games. Oftentimes, her competitive, German-Irish temperament was evident. She was a definite “joiner” and belonged to groups for sewing, reading, beading, quilting and vintage ladies to mention a few. She was a member of the Ladies Guild at Sacred Heart Catholic Church and volunteered at the Free Medical Clinic in Southport, NC. Until she and Tom retired in Southport in 1997, they made several moves they felt were necessary for their family; most of those moves were not places Gloria would have selected. Her cheerful attitude, however, allowed her to make friends everywhere they lived and made her a true believer in one of her favorite sayings, “Bloom where you are planted.” She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Tom Murray; daughters, Norah Murray and husband, Charley Rosicky of Lafayette CO; Kate West and husband, Steve of Holly Springs, NC; sons, John Murray and wife, Stacey of Tucson, AZ; Matthew Murray of Denver, CO; grandchildren, Elizabeth West of Raleigh, NC and Paul West and wife, Dr. Marybeth Burriss-West of Charlotte, NC. In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her son, Patrick Murray and sister Beverly Rempe. A funeral mass to celebrate Gloria’s life will be held at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church (725 Magdala Place, Apex, NC) on September 4 at 11:00, EST. Family and friends are all welcome to attend. Social distancing will be practiced and masks are required. Family and friends also have the option to access the funeral mass virtually through this Zoom link: htpps://cghustle.zoom.us/j/95880681964. Refreshments following the service will be at Brueprint Brewing Company (1229 Perry Road, Apex, NC). Gifts/Donations can be made in Gloria’s name to the Southport Oak Island Interchurch Fellowship Food Pantry at soiicf.org.