Daniel Francis Murray, 63, of Atlanta, died Sunday, September 12, 2021, in Kalispell, Montana after suffering a severe cardiac event while on vacation in Glacier National Park. He spent his last day driving across Montana with his daughter, watching broad valleys give way to alpine forests bathed in golden sunlight. An outdoor Celebration of Life is planned for a later date for friends and family to gather and share stories from his well-lived, too-short, but always adventurous life.
Dan was born in Pennsylvania in 1957 to Michael J. Murray and the late Mary Alice Collins. At a young age, Dan and his family moved south to Atlanta where he attended the Marist School before graduating from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor’s degree in computer science. An avid skydiver and experienced pilot, Dan spent his youth in the skies. He had multiple licenses and ratings, including a multi-engine instructor and the ATP certificate—Airline Transport Pilot, which allowed him to fly his favorite aircraft, the iconic DC-3.
While in school, Dan began to write computer software to help pay for his flying time. The company that hired him, Benefit Services, became a pioneer in the 401(k) recordkeeping business, and Dan continued creating programs and working his way up through the company until he and his business partner sold it to MetLife. For several years after that, Dan took time away from work, embracing the opportunity to travel with his young children. The family spent a great deal of time enjoying the small-town atmosphere of Rosemary Beach, Florida in addition to their global adventures.
Dan later returned to his skills in technology and took on clients in need of creative business solutions, guiding Atlanta-based Piece of Cake on their decade-long expansion with his software and business acumen. In addition to his wife Robin, Daniel Murray is survived by his three children, Alex, Emily, and Ellen; his father, Michael J. Murray and two brothers—Michael (Karen) of Houston, Texas and John (Regiena) of Newnan, Georgia. He also has a nephew, numerous nieces, and a new grand-niece he had just recently met by Zoom.
In the words of astrophysicist Carl Sagan, “we are like butterflies who flutter for a day and think it is forever.”
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