ALTAMONT — Myrtle Sweet Murray, who was dedicated to her family, died peacefully on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. She was a long-time resident of Altamont with her late husband, Owen Murray. She was 94.

She was born Myrtle Margaret Sweet on May 26, 1926 in Chateaugay, New York, daughter of the late Merle Sweet and Frances Arno Sweet. She grew up in Chateaugay and graduated in 1944 from Chateaugay High School. 

She met and married her first husband, Laurin Earl Trainer, right out of high school. Mr. Trainer died in a car accident in 1949. She worked at the Chateaugay Post Office for many years while being a single mother to her two sons and remained close to her sister-in-law, Helen Trainer Sprague, who continued to be a beloved member of her family.

She married Owen Murray in March 1955 in Chateaugay, and they had two more children. In 1960, they moved to Clarence Center near Buffalo, New York. While there, she worked as a homemaker. She sewed, braided rugs, gardened, and canned and preserved what she grew. She also sold Avon and was excited to save enough from that to buy her first dishwasher.

In 1969, the Murrays moved to Altamont where they lived the rest of their lives, becoming part of the community. They attended the Altamont Reformed Church. When her children were older, she started working at New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, retiring in 1994. During retirement years, Owen and Myrt Muray wintered in Florida with three of her siblings and their spouses for many years.

“She stayed in shape all her life, taking long walks in the neighborhood, and participating in exercise classes,” her family wrote in a tribute. “Myrtle always loved music, art, and flowers. She played the ukelin, cello, and piano. She sang with the Suburban Sounds for many years.

“She enjoyed oil painting. She grew vegetables and flowers, and you could find the fresh-cut flowers on her kitchen table. In later years, she took up quilting, piecing and hand-quilting more than a dozen quilts. 

“She baked delicious pies and rolls, made homemade applesauce, and enjoyed nothing more than cooking a dinner for the entire family.  Myrtle was always dedicated to her family and loved ones.”

****

Myrtle Sweet Murray is survived by her sons, Laurin Trainer and Mark Murray and his partner, Jennifer Krasney, all of Altamont, and by her daughter, Kim Bessette, and her husband, Tom, of Delmar.

She is also survived by her daughters-in-law, Carol Trainer of Spencerport and Cindy Creasy of Duanesburg; by her sister, Mercedes Light, and her husband, Bob, of Morrisonville, New York; and by her siblings, Reggie Sweet, Judy Nelson, and Lee Sweet.

Her husbands, Laurin Earl Trainer and Owen Murray, died before her, as did her first-born son, Don Trainer;  her brother Alfred “Sonny” Sweet; and her sisters, Gertrude Adams and Deed O’Neill.

In addition, she is survived by her grandchildren, Jason Trainer and his wife, Marie, and their children: Mya, Seth, and Breah; Britt Elliot and her husband, Hector, and their children: Elizabeth and Sasha; Elena Murray and Connor Murray, and Jenna Bessette, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

There will be no local service. The family will hold a graveside service in Chateaugay some time in the summer.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Altamont Community Food Pantry, Post Office Box 678, Altamont, NY 12009.