Snellville Optician Found Dead in His Home
Dave Murray, President of the now closed Snellville Optician’s in New London Plaza was found dead by his stepson several weeks ago. When the stepson came to Atlanta for a visit before Thanksgiving, he discovered Murray’s body on the floor of his Snellville home. Mr. Murray was in his late sixties, and apparently died of natural causes. Mr. Murray had many loyal customers over his many years as president, and provided affordable, quality eye care services to the local community. Most of his customers were senior citizens who enjoyed his kind manner and thoughtfulness towards them.
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Maureen Tait, a former employee of Snellville Optician’s, recalls that he came from an era of living under poverty conditions as a child, and suffered the effects of World War II. Ms. Tait wrote a college paper in which she interviewed Murray, describing his memories as a child. "Dave lived in the South on the border of Alabama and Tennessee. His family farmed and he considered himself poor. His family didn’t own a car, raised their own food, and his mother made their clothing. He does remember the difficulty in obtaining shoes. The only available shoes were "sneaker" type shoes made from green army canvas tents." Although the war was not mentioned in his school very often, she wrote, " he does remember the sale of twenty-five cent war bonds stamps and he remembers the humiliation of not having the money to buy one."
" One season his father’s crop failed and the family’s sow blessed them with eight piglets. The townspeople, experiencing the rationing of meat, were more than willing to exchange flour, sugar, or whatever for the pork. Dave laments for not having any pork left for his family."
From a background, which included going to the movies for fifteen cents or three eggs, to becoming a leading optician for a growing community, Dave Murray led a life of hardships and sacrifices. His roots made him appreciative of the simple conveniences in life, and led him to serve the public with care and passion in his chosen field. Snellville citizens will miss him.
