Paul John Murray

Paul John "Jack" Murray, an Army veteran and former police employee, died June 25 at his home in Fort Myers, Fla. He was 65 and was a longtime resident of Lowell.

Mr. Murray was born and raised in Lowell. At 18, he joined the Army, serving for 24 years until retiring in 1984 as a sergeant first class.

Mr. Murray returned to Lowell after leaving the military and worked for the city's police department.

In 1992, he moved to Fort Meyers and worked for that city before retiring in 2004.

Mr. Murray was an avid reader and enjoyed using his computer. But his first love was the Army, said his daughter, Heather of Leominster.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Murray leaves his wife, Avis; two sisters, Madeline Brennan of Lowell and Carol Fuller of Fort Myers; a stepdaughter, Cindy Statho of Fort Myers; a stepson, Mark Servin of Lowell; and one granddaughter.

A funeral Mass will be said Monday at 7 p.m. in St. Michael's Church in Lowell.

James S. Cook
James Samuel Cook, a businessman who was active in civic affairs, died July 1 in his Brewster home of a heart attack. He was 79.

Mr. Cook was born in Needham and graduated from Needham High School and Brown University.

Mr. Cook served in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War and attained the rank of captain.

Following his military service, Mr. Cook married Phyllis (Towne). They were married for 55 years.

Mr. Cook began his career at the former Bank of Boston and then moved on to W.R. Grace, where he managed manufacturing facilities in Greenville, S.C.; Reading, Pa., and Lowell.

He was then named president and chief executive of L.G. Balfour Co., formerly of Attleboro, where he retired in the late 1980s. He was also the first executive-in-residence at Northeastern University's School of Business, where he stayed for 10 years.

He served on the board of Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro and on the board of Attleboro Savings Bank. He was an active member and lay leader at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Providence and St. David's Episcopal Church in South Yarmouth.

In addition to his wife, he leaves three daughters, Allison Keith of Los Angeles, Deborah Cook of Portland, Maine, and Susan Cook of Rustenburg, South Africa; two sons, James Jr. of Waterville, Maine, and Jonathan of Houston; nine grandchildren; and three stepgrandchildren.

Services have been held.