David Brian Murray

There are a lucky few who experience and live life like David did. It was big and loud. It was uniquely him. He remembered everyone he met and everything about them. He’d ask how you were and then stop to listen. He loved the same way. He considered his marriage to Stephanie his smartest and greatest accomplishment. Not many profess their love on the first date, but David did. Their marriage was enviable. They enjoyed one another. They laughed at the same ridiculous things. Stephanie was his biggest cheerleader and possessed eternal patience for his often-outlandish ideas and plans. 

David ran marathons around the world, purchased an endless stream of cars and boats that never worked, built his own ‘home theater’ in every house they lived in, and had a nickname for everyone he knew. He never ceased to delight and exasperate. 

Of all the many hats David wore, his favorite and proudest was being a father. Cam (SlammiePie) and Bryn (BinBin) were the lights that lit his life. He nurtured and protected them, gently nudged them ahead, and always made sure they knew how much he loved them.

David was a doting son to his mom, Joan (the Mamanator). They read the paper together every Sunday, side by side, drinking coffee and not speaking. Just the way they liked it. He was the sun in the solar system to his sisters Teresa (Terri girl) and Jean (Jean the Bean). Naturally, he was the ‘fun uncle’ to his nieces and nephews. He bought them cars, co-signed leases, and included them anywhere, anytime, without judgment, only love. 

Everyone loved being David’s friend. His circle was BIG-it spanned from Rogers Road to Babson to Portland, New York, Detroit, West Hartford, Darien, Rowayton, and finally Charleston. No one ever felt they could get enough of him.

David enjoyed a successful thirty-year career in media sales. His last, and we think favorite role, was teaching at the College of Charleston. The enthusiasm he brought to life was delivered to the classroom. Professor Murray knew the names of all his students on the first day of class. He kept up with them after the semesters ended. Dave would ride his ‘school bike’ on campus, Starbucks in hand, giving shoutouts to anyone who was lucky enough to be in his orbit. 

It would be remiss not to mention David's simple pleasures - coffee, specifically Starbucks, any meal Stephanie cooked, music (particularly Van Morrison and Bruce Springsteen), and cigars. He was a dog person and believed their rescue Hank was his ’spirit dog.’

He was a thirty-eight-year member of Alcoholics Anonymous, which he said afforded him his cherished life. Dave was a walking and talking example of the program in action. 

This summer, David cycled solo across the country-from Santa Monica to Charleston. He chronicled his trip with daily videos, during which he “gave props” to every significant person he’d encountered throughout his life. It is an amazing compilation of a life well lived and loved. Muzz will be missed like no other. Any tribute to him inevitably falls short. He was incredible. 

David is survived by his wife, Stephanie; his children, Bryn and Cameron; his daughter-in-law, Sophie Waine; his parents, Joan Sullivan and James Murray; and his siblings, Teresa and Phil Magliozzi, and Jean and Jim McNiff.

A memorial service will be held in Connecticut on Saturday, September 14th, at 12:30 PM at the First Congregational Church, 14 Brookside Road, Darien, CT. 

A local service will take place on Thursday, September 26th, at 4:00 PM at the College of Charleston. 

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to Charleston Moves, an organization dedicated to advocating for and promoting safe streets for cyclists. https://charlestonmoves.org/donate