William M. Murray, 65

On May 4, 2026, in Binghamton, New York, the world stopped spinning for the span of one breath. Holding his wife’s hand and surrounded by his family, William “Bill” Malcolm Murray, 65, took one last, peaceful breath and passed into legend.

Born on Aug. 17, 1960, in Wolfeboro, to Malcolm and Jacqueline Murray, Bill was, in his own words, “a rapscallion.” The story goes that little Billy’s mother dared just once to take a nap and awoke to find he had toddled outside and put an expired squirrel next to her. In 1964, their family expanded by one more and his beloved brother, Jim, became his childhood partner in crime.

After graduating from Laconia High School in 1978, Bill spent two years proudly serving in the United States Marine Corps. It wasn’t long before Bill settled in North Carolina, and began running heavy equipment. Specializing in bulldozers, Bill found so much joy in his work. In his words, “I get to play in a giant sandbox with a dozer like a big kid.”

A casual gathering of friends in 1999 changed Bill’s life. At the age of 40, the fun-loving, Harley-riding bachelor met Diane and fell hard. A widow with four teenage children, Diane became the center of Bill’s world and heart. Sharing a love of cheesy sci-fi movies, reading, off-roading, and cornball humor, Bill moved to New York to be with Diane. Marrying in 2003, to the delight of all their family, Bill and Diane experienced a daily romance that inspired us all to love as ourselves and believe in soulmates.

Throughout the ensuing years, Bill became the epitome of a family man: a doting husband who lovingly adopted the phrases, “Anything for your mother” and “Yes, dear.” Perhaps the most surprising twist in Bill’s tale was just how perfect he was as an honorary father. Bill stood as a pillar of safety and friendship for six children who didn’t know what a father’s love truly was before he came along. Amidst his amazing barbecue skills and hilarious one-liners was a man who held his children when they cried over a breakup. Who stood at the bottom of the stairs and took their picture as they headed to prom. Who marked the wooden pillar at home with the height of their children, his grandchildren, every Thanksgiving. Who, now, will remain one of the most treasured memories and deepest hollows of our lives.

He is survived by his wife, Diane Taylor Murray; his father, Malcolm Murray of New Hampshire; his brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Nicole Murray of New Hampshire; his uncle David and Natalie Murray of Maine; and many cousins. He is also survived by his children and their spouses, daughter Dorie and Adam Joseph, son Doug and Michelle Grant, daughter Sarah Grant and Rob Jones, daughter Katie Grant and Jeremy Algire, son Tony and Marcella Lau, and daughter Ariel Dohanich; his grandchildren, Douglas, Sonora, Alexander, Selena, Emma, Luka and Josephine; his niece and nephews, Lora and Zach Hicks and Nicolas Murray of New Hampshire; great-nieces Reese and Wynn Hicks; and good friend Skip Strawn of New York. He is preceded in death by his mother, Jacqueline Murray of New Hampshire.

There will be no services.