John N. “Norman” Murray, age 92, of Hudson, Wisconsin, formerly of Amery and Clayton, Wisconsin, passed away on April 18, 2023, at the Christian Community Home in Hudson.

Norman was born on August 22, 1930, in Amery, Wisconsin. He lived with his parents, James and Eleanor (Dalberg) Murray, in Amery until they moved to Clayton, where he graduated from Clayton High School, the class of 1948. After high school, he enrolled at UW–Madison, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1952. While in college, he joined ROTC, and was later deployed to Korea though the United States Army Military Police Corps. After his return home as “Ready Reserve,” he was united in marriage to Joan Zens on January 5, 1957, in Madison, Wisconsin.

Norm was a business owner for over 40 years, co-owning Dalberg Hardware in Clayton, Wisconsin, with his brother, Bill, until 2001. Throughout his time with Dalberg’s, he met many customers and friends, and he and Joan took numerous trips together with their hardware store friends. In his free time, he enjoyed golfing, traveling, cooking, and cheering on the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He was also an avid hunter and fisherman and eagerly anticipated “deer camp” every year. Even when he could no longer hunt, he still Face Timed with his close friends. Norm rode his Harley motorcycle until he was 80, when he traded it in for a 1950 Ford Truck which he drove in the Clayton Blue Cheese Days Parade up until the last couple of years. He was also a cross-country skier, even competing in the American Birkebeiner. Above everything though, he cherished most his time spent with family, and was dedicated to supporting his children and grandchildren in their numerous sports and activities.

He is survived by his children: Daniel Murray, Kathleen “Kit” (Gary) Elert, and Patricia Murray (Scott Chantland); grandchildren, Brittani (Chad) Nordquist and Eric Elert (fiancée, Jane Janson); great-grandchildren, Elert, Callaway, and Olaf Nordquist; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Joan; his parents; his brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Betty Murray, and several aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1500 Vine St., Hudson, Wisconsin, with a visitation held one hour prior to the Mass at church. Lunch will follow. Memorials are preferred to the Wounded Warrier’s Project (WWP).

O’Connell Family Funeral Home of Hudson, WI. (715) 386-3725. www.oconnellfuneralhomes.com