[1][2] Murray was born in Hull, fifth generation in a family of railwaymen, His father Donald was fish stock superintendent for the London and North East Railway (LNER).
Murray amassed his own library containing thousands of books and photographs and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of York, came into contact with asbestos during his early career with British Rail.
More than 1,500 lectures, a local history course that ran for 15 years, and a popular guided walks programme all inspired others to follow in Murray's footsteps.
As a trustee, treasurer and administrator for many years, he created a database of all the burials which is now an invaluable research tool for other historians as well as people with relatives buried there.
Murry died of mesothelioma, from asbestos dust and fibres in workshops while he was a British Rail graduate signals apprentice in the mid-1950s.