Wendel Albert Murray

CWO 4 WENDEL MURRAY, AGE 82, OF ORLANDO, FLORIDA PASSED AWAY APRIL 10, 2015 TO BE WITH HIS BELOVED BECKY MURRAY. WENDEL WAS BORN ON OCTOBER 5, 1932 IN GLENNVILLE, GA AND WAS A RETIRED U.S. NAVY CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER. WENDEL IS SURVIVED BY SONS JIM MURRAY, BRIAN MURRAY; DAUGHTER, WENDY MCKENNA; AND 3 GRANDCHILDREN, BRIANNA, HANNAH & SARAH. The memorial service is at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 14, 2015 with visiting hours from 10 a.m. to noon at A Community Funeral Home. Internment service will be at Greenwood Cemetery in Orlando. Wendel grew up in Glennville GA and moved to Beaufort, S.C. when he was 10 years old and graduated from Beaufort High School. He served 30 years active duty with the U.S. Navy specializing as a hospital corpsman in nuclear medicine. Later in his Naval career he completed his Officer Candidate training in Athens, GA specializing in supply corps. After his military career he graduated from the University of North Florida with a B.S. in Allied Health. He went on to complete his licensure in family counseling and later as a realtor. He “officially retired for the forth time” in 2005. Wendel was the son of Albert and Christine Murray of Beaufort, SC. Albert was in civil service and Christine was a beautician. Albert also was a U.S.M.C. veteran in support of Parris Island Marine Corps base during WWII. Married on August 21, 1954, Wendel and Becky were married nearly 60 years. Wendel and Becky traveled and lived in many parts of the world and US. Overseas stations included Oahu, Hawaii and Keflavik, Iceland. Around the United States he was stationed in many Naval Facilities in South Carolina, North Carolina, Connecticut, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, California, and finally settled to Florida in 1977, and Orlando in 1988. Wendel often spoke of his military accomplishments as a hospital corpsman aboard the USS Halibut, SSG(N) 587 stationed in Oahu, HI. While aboard the USS Halibut, Wendel provided onboard medical treatment of service personnel, nuclear testing of onboard equipment, and daily measurements of the Soviets atmospheric nuclear fallout during their nuclear testing. The USS Halibut’s distinction includes being the first nuclear-powered submarine to successfully launch a guided missile. Begun as a diesel-electric submarine but completed with nuclear power, Halibut was the first submarine initially designed to launch guided missiles. Known as the “Bane to the Soviets” during the Cold War, the USS Halibut completed several trips to the Kamchatka Peninsula. He is also survived by his sister Louise Murray of Beaufort, S.C.; and nephews and nieces Shawn Rodgers, Douglas Garvin and Caitlin Williams of Beaufort, S.C.; and Nicolas Murray of Texas and Michele Murray of Virginia.

Wendel Albert Murray

April 10, 2015