Thomas Edward Murray, or “Tom”, was born on September 1, 1958 in Fullerton, California to parents James and Lucille Murray. He was the youngest of three Murray children, with his sister Judith, or “Judy”, being the oldest and his brother Michael, or “Mike”, being the middle child.

Tom grew up in Garden Grove, California, and spent his early years forging lifelong friendships on Della Lane. Mike and Tom were very active and participated in several organized sports, including football and baseball. But, Tom gravitated towards outdoor sports like surfing, water skiing, and snow skiing during these formative years, and maintained these hobbies for several decades. As a child, he would travel numerous places with the Della Lane friend group to partake in these hobbies, including going to Lake Tahoe to ski, Mexico to surf, and the Colorado River to water ski.

Tom attended Garden Grove High School and graduated in 1976. Instead of opting for traditional athletics in high school, he joined the surf club and routinely surfed prior to school. He even competed and placed in some surf contests. After high school, he decided to pursue a career in heating and air conditioning (“HVAC”). He attended Apprenticeship training at Local 250 Steamfitters Union, where he learned the fundamentals of HVAC and prepared for his first job.

After the Apprenticeship training, Tom started his career as a Journeyman at CIARA Corporation in 1980. He installed and serviced HVAC system and controls and after 5 years was promoted to Service Foreman. Then in 1990, he joined Siemens Building Technologies as a Foreman. He spent 20 years as a Superintendent at Siemens and would eventually retire in 2019. Tom managed numerous large-scale and complicated projects, including HVAC system installations in high rise office buildings, hotels, and university campuses. He was an invaluable resource to the company, as he balanced technical knowledge and project management proficiency with charisma and people-skills that resulted in many successful projects.

While advancing his career, he met and fell in love with Kathleen Walker and they were married in 1989. They had their first child, Joseph, in 1991 and a second child, McKenzie, in 1995. Family was extremely important to Tom. The Murray family enjoyed annual summer trips with their boat to the Colorado River and winter trips to Mammoth and Lake Tahoe. He always ensured he was home for dinner, and never missed one of his children’s sporting events. He bonded with his son over their shared love of water skiing and bonded with his daughter over their shared love of music and the guitar. He was a dedicated, wise, and encouraging father, and a caring, generous, and loving husband.

During his retirement, he prioritized family time and as “empty-nesters”, Tom and Kathleen cherished time with their Rottweiler, “Tia.” They did daily dog walks around the neighborhood, and made several new friends in the process. Tom also went on several fishing trips to Alaska, Cabo San Lucas, and Washington, where he enjoyed being in nature and the thrill of catching a big fish.

Tom impacted so many people during his life, from work colleagues and neighbors to family and friends. Whether using his handy-man skills to fix something or providing encouragement and advice, he was always generous with his time without expecting anything in return. Tom is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and two children, Joseph and McKenzie.

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