Kay (Hall) Murray

Lacombe

Description

Life and Work

Kay Hall was born six miles southeast of Lacombe to Scottish parents and came from a family of six. She attended Spring Valley School until Grade 9, and then moved to Lacombe where she took a bookkeeping course.

In 1936, Kay married Ray Murray and helped him operate a garage west of where the present-day Stettler Independent stands. From this union came two children, eight grandchildren, and 18 great-grandchildren.

When Ray went to fight in WWII, Kay took over operations of the garage, thankful for the knowledge she learned about mechanics from Ray. After the war, Ray and Kay parted ways and she took on a new partner in Bill. They established Kay and Bills Service Station and later K & B Freight Lines.

Since then she has sold real estate, owned a travel agency and travelled extensively. She still organizes the occasional bus tour even though she has sold her agency and now resides in Heart Haven Lodge.

Kay Murray is very active in many campaigns and regularly donates over $1,000 a year to cancer, arthritis, and heart and stroke research. Meanwhile, she also serves as treasurer for the residence club at Heart Haven.

Kay Murray had the courage to follow her heart and do a job not many woman would, thus contributing to the war effort. Few women of her generation would have contemplated a job as a mechanic.