Peter Michael Mcmurry

Peter Michael McMurry, 51, died on December 12, 2019 in New York City. The son of John McMurry and Susan Sobuta McMurry, he was born in Santa Cruz, California and graduated from Ithaca High School in 1986 and Harvard University in 1991. His first job was with Microsoft, where he worked with the group that developed Excel.  Later, he moved to North Carolina, received a Masters Degree in computer science and cofounded Red Storm Entertainment, where he was lead engineer for the team that designed the computer games Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear, among others. Feeling a need to try something different, he moved to New York City and spent several years working as a technology analyst for Morgan Stanley Asset Management until poor health made it necessary for him to retire.

Peter is survived by his parents, by his brothers David (Meloney) of Ithaca, NY and Paul, of Lebanon, NH; by his nieces Vanessa and Agnes McMurry; by his aunts Mickey (Jerry Ross) of Bonne Terre, MO, Jane Rath (John Chase) of Philadelphia, PA, and Linda Sobuta (Jerry Griffin) of San Francisco, CA; and by his cousin Nora Chase. He was preceded in death by his grandparents Edward and Marguerite McMurry, and Henry and Josephine Sobuta.

During his life, Peter struggled with health issues related to cystic fibrosis. At the time of his diagnosis, life expectancy for people born with cystic fibrosis was just 14 years. He survived this prognosis by diligent self-care and with the assistance of many dedicated medical professionals. Despite poor health, he led a productive and creative life. From the mid-70s on, he was fascinated with computers and computer programming. Later on, when his interests turned to finance, he studied economic theory and constructed economic models. He was an omnivorous reader, a long-suffering fan of Arsenal soccer, and the dedicated owner of Ivy, his rescue dog. People admired him for his intelligence, sense of humor, profound kindness, and concern for marginalized people everywhere.

Burial at Pleasant Grove Cemetery will be private. The family will hold a remembrance gathering at the Harvard Club of New York on January 4th from 1-3 PM. A memorial service and celebration of Peter’s life will be held on January 25 at the First Unitarian Society of Ithaca at 10:00. Contributions in Peter’s memory can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation or to the U.S. Adult Cystic Fibrosis Association, USACFA.

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