Harry Murray. who has died aged 88, was a much-loved father, grandfather and great grandfather. A respected member of Gracious Street Methodist Church, Harrogate Male Voice Choir and Knaresborough Rotary Club, Harry’s life was one of service to the community he loved. Always ready with a joke and a witty remark, his dry sense of humour endeared him to all who enjoyed the pleasure of his company. His jokes were often cast at his wife Pauline, in the nicest possible way. When Pauline broke her ankle, he was asked how she was, “She’s alright”, he said, “it’s not affected her voice!”. When Pauline served as Mayor of Knaresborough Harry was her consort and together, they were much involved with the German Twin town Bebra. They ran a Contact the Elderly group, taking older people out for Sunday Tea, for which they were awarded the Marsh Christian Trust Award for Volunteering presented to them by the Duke of Devonshire.
Harry joined Knaresborough Rotary in1978 and was a member for 45 years, President in 1983 and made a Paul Harris Fellow in 2008. When Harry went to the Knaresborough Rotary Club’s Christmas Dinner, he did not know that he was about to be awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship. Tricked into believing he had won a Raffle Prize; Harry was persuaded to take off the gift wrapping on the packet to show those present what he had won and was astonished to discover the Citation Certificate with his name on it.
Sadly, in 2017, he suffered a severe stroke on his way home from a Rotary meeting which left him partially paralysed and with impaired speech, but he did not lose his sense of humour, or his cheeky smile. His wife, Pauline, predeceased him in 2022.