Murrey Elwin Lord

Murrey Elwin Lord, former resident of Fryeburg, ME, now of Greenville, SC, died on September 19, 2020 after a long, hard fought battle with cancer.
Murrey was born on July 1, 1946 in Bridgton, ME. He was the son of Walter (d) and Charlotte Lord (d). He was a graduate of Fryeburg Academy and upon graduation he enlisted in the US Navy. After growing up with six siblings, and rather humble beginnings, he would always say he was just excited to ‘get three squares a day and indoor plumbing’. He was honorably discharged after four years and returned home to Fryeburg rather bruised from his war injury… from not looking both ways on base and getting hit by a car.
He met his wife, Roberta, a recent transplant from the foreign land of Long Island, NY in their senior year of high school and, despite a language barrier, they fell in love. They were married on November 26, 1966. Murrey changed, not only his religion for the love of his life, but also his nationality, and on that day, he became an honorary Polish-American.
Against his better judgement and after numerous glasses of vodka, he began his career as a builder with his father-in-law and brother-in-law. After many years of working in and around the Mount Washington Valley, he moved to South Carolina where he unleashed his Maine ingenuity and hard-working Yankee mentality on his new, unsuspecting, southern coworkers.
Murrey worked up and down the Grand Strand for years. He also sprinkled his extensive construction knowledge into the historic city of Charleston. The last company he worked for, Coastal Structures of Georgetown, was sorry to see him retire but thankful they didn’t have to get up so early any longer as he was always the first one to the office.
He had many hobbies, which included wood working. If he needed a table, he built one. It may not have ever moved because of the sheer size and weight, but Murrey built things to last and he was a man of his word. He became famous in Georgetown after competing in the wooden boat show. His boat ironically did not sink, which we all thought it would, but, in fact, the seaworthy masterpiece kept him afloat. Unfortunately, he fell over in it, and only his flailing legs made the front-page news.
Not even a cancer diagnosis could quell his spirit. He and his wife retired to Florida where they enjoyed winters with their life long Maine friends and embarked on a twilight perpetual spring break outside of the Villages in Lady Lake, FL. Days were filled with golf and early evenings of happy hours.
They returned to South Carolina when his health was failing. Even just a few days before he passed, he told doctors that this was just another blip in the road and he fully expected to recover because he had promises to keep and personal goals to make. He had been determined to take his twin grandsons on a trip to Japan after they graduated from college next spring, but, sadly, the people of Japan will never have the pleasure of Murrey Lord visiting them in person.
Trust us, Japan, this is probably for the best.
Murrey is survived by his devoted wife, Roberta Lord, his three children, Michael Lord (Amy Lord) of Goose Creek, SC, Kerry Lord (Geeta Nangia) of Greenville, SC, and his daughter, Shannon Barczak (David Barczak) of Summerville, SC. His eight grandchildren, Brandon, Mason, Mitchell, Ravi, Ameesh, Ethan, Wyatt, and Lilah. His two great-grandchildren, Izabella and Elena. His siblings, Dale Lord, Deborah Dolley, Terry Lord, Jane Dutton, and Gene Lord.
There will be no services or funeral to commemorate the life of this extraordinary man. He didn’t want one and he didn’t want to be remembered in any sort of solemn way. If you would like to make a donation to the American Cancer Society @ donate3.cancer.org, we are certain he would appreciate that more than flowers, plants, or tears.