Murray Harrison

Mr. Murray Harrison, age 66, of Plainwell, Michigan, passed away surrounded by his family at Borgess Hospital on June 21, 2016. He was born on May 3, 1950 in Plainwell, MI to David and Eleanor (Harris), who preceded him in death. Murray was one of four children. After attending St. Margaret’s Catholic School, kindergarten through 8th grade, and graduating from Plainwell High School, he attended Western Michigan University’s business college. He then worked as a tool and die repairman at Georgia Pacific before moving to Alaska to work on the oil pipelines for a short time. Once his father was ready to retire from the family business, Murray returned to Plainwell to take over and run Harrison’s True Value Hardware Store for 25 years until his retirement in 2000. He was known to people in the community as a “jack of all trades”. Murray had an incredible knowledge of all things mechanical, and many community members knew him to be a trusted business owner whom they relied on to fix their equipment, no matter the size. Although he was known to have a tough exterior and be a bit rough around the edges, people who were closest to Murray knew he had a very kind, tender heart and would do anything for his loved ones. He enjoyed puttering in his yard and flower gardens, tinkering with his tools, working on his computer, telling jokes, and sipping beer with friends. Murray was an avid animal lover, especially his beloved dog and companion, Roxie. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, David, and David’s wife, Wanda. He is survived by his love, his partner of 24 years, Sandra Kelly, as well as four children and two stepchildren: John, Jamie, Cory, and Justin Harrison, Jason (Christine, Spencer, Sydney) Koehrn of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and Kelly Koehrn of Kalamazoo. Also surviving is a brother, Paul (Sandy) Harrison of Wayland and a sister, Suzette (Gary) of Allegan. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends; may he rest in peace. Friends may visit with Murray’s family at St. Margaret’s Church in Otsego, MI on Friday, July 8th at 10:00 a.m. until the time of the funeral mass service at 11:00 a.m. with Rev. Fr. Donald Klingler officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Kalamazoo Animal Rescue. To view Murray’s personalized guestbook, please visit www.Lifestorynet.com.