Donald Ray Murtha, 12 May 1929 – 01 Apr 2013

MURTHA, JONES, BRANCATO, HUSS, BURRY, BLUMER, TRAMMELL, ROGERS, KLEIN, HUSS-HAVARTI, RINGLER, FRESHOUR

Posted By: Sandy Ficken (email)
Date: 7/29/2013 at 17:46:48

Donald Ray Murtha

Donald Ray Murtha, 83, of Wofford Heights, Calif., formerly of Victor, Iowa, died Monday, April 1, 2013, at Bakersfield Memorial Hospital.

Services were held April 20, 2013, at St. Jude’s Catholic Church in Wofford Heights, Calif., with deacon Jim Dewey as officiant.

Survivors include his children, Katherine Trammell of Texas City, Texas, Michael (Sharon) Murtha of Klamath Falls, Ore., James (Anita) Murtha of Fort Worth, Texas, Kelly (Patsy) Murtha of Tujunga,Calif., Donald (Kim) Murtha of Irving, Texas, Susan (Francis) Rogers of Bluebell,Pa., Bobbie Rae Huss of Wofford Heights, Calif.,Michael Huss of Wofford Heights, Emmy (Fred) Klein of Simi Valley, Calif. and Cathy (Raz) Huss-Havarti of Sun Valley, Calif. Other survivors include Margaret Ringler of Rock Island, Ill., Teresa Freshour of Cedar Rapids and James Burry of Glendale, Calif.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ray and Madeline Murtha; Marilyn Jones Murtha, Dorothy Brancato Murtha and Margie Huss Murtha; his infant daughter, Linda; August and Mary Burry; and sister, Dorothy Blumer of Davenport.

Don was born May 12,1929, in Moline, Ill., to parents Ray and Madeline Murtha. Due to illness of his mother, Don was raised by his uncle and aunt, August and Mary (Murtha) Burry when he was one year old, in Victor, Iowa.He graduated from St. John’s Catholic School Victor in 1947. He joined the Air Force when the Korean war started.

He spent time in Korea as a mechanic and was seriously injured during that time. He met his first wife, Marilyn in California and was married in 1952, they had six children before she died in 1962. He married Dorothy Brancato , they had one child before they divorced in 1972. He married Margie Huss in 1973 and they were married for 33 years until she died in 2006.

Published in The Gazette April 30, 2013.