Richard William Murken

Mr. Richard William Murken, 89, of Alpharetta, died June 7, 2007. He is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Loretta Davis Murken; daughter, Beverly Santillo and her husband, Richard of Norcross; sons, Richard Murken of Los Angeles, CA; and Douglas Murken and his wife, Kendall of San Francisco, CA and grandchildren; Alison Santillo Woodrow and her husband, David of Smyrna and Navy Lt. Douglas Santillo, of Charleston, SC and great grandchildren, Sam and Natalie Woodrow. Dick was born in Chester, PA and grew up in Philadelphia where he met and married the love of his life, Loretta Davis. They lived in Cheltenham, PA and raised their three children there. Dick spent the war years building aircraft at the Philadelphia Naval Yard and continued to work in the aircraft industry after that. For most of his career, he worked as a design drafting engineer for General Electric, first in Research and Development and then in the Missile, Space, Vehicle division. During that time he received awards at General Electric for innovative improvements. At home, Dick was known as Mr. Fixit to his family, neighbors, and friends. Whenever there was a carpentry problem, Dick could be counted on to fix it. Always a meticulous designer, he could plan and build all kinds of things from cabinets to bookcases, to reframing and converting a garage into a family room. After retiring from GE, Dick and Loretta moved to the Atlanta area in 1981 where they quickly established new friendships and enjoyed being active in their church and various clubs as well as playing an important role in the lives of their grandchildren, Alison and Douglas. Dick continued to work as a consultant and had a long term relationship with Kimberly Clark in Roswell, ended only by a stroke in 1990. Recovering from the stroke, Dick maintained his active life continuing to golf and play bridge as well as remain a favorite of all the ladies at any function where dancing was a requirement. Oh how he loved to dance and socialize! He was a kind, sweet man whose presence and good sense of humor could liven up any party. Dick loved to travel and he and Loretta saw the world together: from numerous cruises including one through the Panama Canal to travels in Europe and Asia, they enjoyed the good life together. He will be sadly missed but always remembered in love by his family and friends. Memorial services will be held at the Cross of Life Lutheran Church, 1000 Hembree Rd., Roswell on Saturday, June 16 at 11 am. A reception in the church fellowship hall will follow. Family request that in lieu of flowers please make donations in his memory to the Cross of Life Lutheran Church or the Alzheimer's Association.

Richard William Murken

July 6, 1917 - June 7, 2007