Donna “Rachel” Murray

Donna “Rachel” Murray

“Donna is my first name, but I go by Rachel.”

That’s how she began every doctor’s office check-in during the last few years of her life. For Rachel, however, it was rarely just a matter of introducing herself. It was usually the beginning of a conversation—and quite possibly the beginning of a new friendship. She was warm, curious, and genuinely interested in people. She was a wonderful conversationalist, a gifted storyteller, and someone who had a remarkable ability to make people feel welcome.

Donna “Rachel” Murray was born in 1940 in Houston, Texas, to J. Ross Richardson Jr. and Dorothy Rachel Richardson (née Caldwell). She was the oldest of four children, followed by three younger brothers: James “Bud” Ross, Robert “Bob” Mathews, and Thomas “Tommy” Cardwell. The family lived in São Paulo, Brazil, during her childhood, a chapter of her life Rachel loved to tell people about throughout the years.

She attended St. Stephen’s School in Austin, Texas, and graduated from Lamar High School in Houston in 1958. She went on to the University of Texas at Austin, where she earned a B.A. in Spanish and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.

In 1962, she married Richard Lloyd Murray of Houston. Early in their marriage, she taught elementary school while Richard worked in sales in Corpus Christi and Houston.

After returning to Houston, Rachel and Richard adopted their son, William “Bill” Reynolds. Nine years later, they welcomed their son, James “Jim” Lloyd. Rachel devoted herself to raising her boys and was deeply involved in their lives. Along the way, she occasionally substitute taught and tutored, keeping one foot in the classroom she would eventually return to full time.

Once she had successfully wrangled both boys out of the house, Rachel returned to teaching with the Houston Independent School District. She taught bilingual first- and second-grade students for 20 years while earning a master’s degree in education from the University of St. Thomas. Teaching was not simply a career for Rachel. She loved children, loved learning, and loved people—and, as was her habit throughout life, she made lasting friendships wherever she went.

After retiring from teaching, Rachel and Richard embarked on a second career as real estate agents in Fort Bend County, Texas. They worked together successfully until retiring in the late 2010s. Their life together was also happily populated by lots of dogs, who were very much part of the family.

Rachel and Richard treasured time with their sons and their families: Jim and his wife, Jessica (née Sherm), and their children, Wyatt and Skylar; and Bill and his wife, Julie (née Kindsfater), and their children, Aiden and Paige Puotinen.

After Richard’s death in 2021, Rachel cared for his brother, George, until 2023. She then left Texas to live near Jim, Jessica, Wyatt, and Skylar in Virginia. It did not take long for Rachel to make close friends there, as it never seemed to take long for her anywhere. She decided she wanted to be interred in Virginia, near the family she loved.

In the final two years of her life, Rachel moved to Wisconsin to be near Bill, Julie, Aiden, and Paige. At her independent living community, she continued to do what she had always done best: talk to people, tell stories, and make connections. She regaled her neighbors with stories from her life and introduced them to her unmistakable Southern accent. Even in a new place, surrounded by people she had only recently met, Rachel found a way to make a community around herself.

Rachel died peacefully on August 28, 2026, at the age of 86.

She leaves behind a family who loved her deeply, friends she gathered throughout a long and full life, and many people who were made to feel a little more connected simply because Rachel took the time to talk with them.

She will be remembered for her warmth, her humor, her stories, her love of family, her love of children and animals, and her extraordinary gift for making a friend wherever she went. Rachel lived with an open heart and an abiding interest in the people around her. Her life was measured not only in the places she lived or the things she accomplished, but in the many people who were happier for having known her.

She will be buried at Quantico with Richard at a future date.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your local senior taxi or Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services in Houstonhttps://www.pchas.org