Murray Fisher

Murray William Fisher, 96, of Walla Walla died December 2, 2017 at Wheatland Village in Walla Walla, Washington. Funeral services were held on Saturday, December 9 at 11 AM at Pioneer United Methodist Church, Walla Walla, Washington. Reverend Juli Reinholz will conduct the service. A private inurnment at Mountain View Cemetery will be held prior to the service. Memorial contributions can be made to Fort Walla Walla Museum (Note: WWII Memorial on check memo line) in care of the Munselle-Rhodes Funeral Home, 902 S. Main, Milton-Freewater, OR 97862.

Murray Fisher, the eldest of four children, was the son of Guy Ragan and Ruby Lavinia Bunt. He was born on April 27, 1921 in Walla Walla, Washington. He grew up in the small town and Waitsburg, Washington. He graduated from Waitsburg High School in Waitsburg, Washington.

Murray was drafted by the Navy in 1944, in the middle of WWII. He was trained to break a top secret code at Farragut Naval Base in Farragut, Idaho. While stationed at Aiea Naval Base on Oahu, Hawaii, he was sent out on several missions. Aboard ships and submarines, he broke the top secret "Katakana" code at both Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. It was aboard a ship off of Okinawa that he experienced a great loss that would stay with him the rest of his life; the death of his friend and comrade, Mal.

Murray returned from the war and began a career as a telegrapher for the Northern Pacific and Burlington Northern Railroads. He was set up on a blind date with a pretty blonde girl who had just moved to Walla Walla from Florida. It was a double-date with her sister and another young man. When it started to snow, it was the first snow the southern girls had ever seen. When they said they wanted to stop the car so they could "catch a snowball" the young men couldn't stop laughing. They were married on September 9, 1950 and soon-after moved into the house he built.

Murray was always interested in the newest technology. He was a ham radio operator and had a whole room in his basement full of equipment he used to talk to people all over the world. He attended Ham radio festivals. He was active in the W7DP radio clubhouse. When technology advanced, he was the first person in Walla Walla to have internet. His love of the unique and of technology didn't fade with age; he rode a Segway, drove a DeLorean, and his most recent phone was an IPhone 7.

Murray and Bettye were active members of Pioneer United Methodist Church. They went on a mission trip to Jamaica, holding vacation bible school for children and adults. He loved going to vintage car shows and could recite every fact about every car. He and Bettye went to Camp Farthest Out (CFO) for many years.

Murray loved camping – graduating from a tiny Aloha trailer to a large motor home. His favorite places were the Oregon Coast and Wallowa Lake, Oregon. He also loved Hawaii and visited many times.

He was a builder. He built the house that he and wife lived in for 66 years. He was always puttering around – adding on and thinking up new projects. He was never without a project or two going. He built a "go-cart," and a playhouse for his daughters, and made his lawn mower into a remote controlled one. Much to his brother's chagrin, he once made a tandem bike out of his brother's bicycle.

In 2002, at the age of 81, Murray began experiencing symptoms of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder from his time during the war. When he handed over more than 400 pages of letters he wrote to his folks during the war, his daughter, Karen began to read them and take notes. Over the next eight years, he slowly revealed the story of his time during the war. It was a story he'd kept secret for more than 60 years. The story was written by his daughter into a memoir, Breaking the Code, which was published in 2011. Murray was interviewed by newspapers, television, and NPR. He was proud to finally tell the story of his work as part of a team of codebreakers whose stories had remained untold until then. He enjoyed going to book events, signing autographs, and talking to other veterans. In 2007 he visited Hawaii with his family to have a memorial for his friend and comrade, Mal who died in his arms during WWII. He stood at the end of a pier and said, "Never goodbye. Just see you later."

Family meant the world to Murray. He loved being a part of his grandchildren's lives. He attended their dance recitals, baseball games, football games, musical performances, school programs and many more. He paid $1 for every time their name or picture was in the newspaper. He had waffle feeds. He loved having the family near.

He is survived by his wife, Bettye, and daughters, Susan, Kathleen, and Karen, his sister, Iris Giordano, sister-in-law, Dana, and grandchildren; Joshua, Danielle, Micah, and Caleb, and great-granddaughter; Charlotte Bettye. He was preceded in death by his parents, and brothers Raymond and Gerald. He was also preceded in death by his dear friend, Mal.

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