AUBURN – Bruce Dana Murray, 68, of Auburn, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 8.

He was born in Adams, Mass., on April 1, 1940, the son of Frank and Dorothy Irish Murray. As a young man, he became well-known as a classical pianist, learning to read music from his talented grandmother, Grace Dana Irish. He studied classical music under the guidance of Prof. Frederick Tillotson of Bowdoin College.

The young people loved to hear him play the “Flight of the Bumblebee.” He would impress friends and family with playing “The Minute Waltz” in less than one minute. When he was about 13 years old, he would visit Bert Cote’s music store and play classical music on the piano in the store window. He attended Auburn schools, lastly graduating from Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield. He met and married Linda Swan while attending Gorham State College, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in education in 1970.

He was especially proud of his service in the U.S. Marine Corps. He acquired the highest possible rating with fire arms, that of lifetime master and enjoyed teaching weaponry at Annapolis, Md. Other highlights of his service are that he served as a chaplain’s assistant in Japan and Okinawa, gained two years of college through evening courses and testing, ran a military library at a training center, corrected lectures and speeches for officer presentations and supported officer shows by playing piano accompaniments.

After the Marine Corps, he taught basic education courses for several years at the Poland Spring Job Corps and taught English and reading at Montello Junior High School. He left the educational field to work in several different pursuits. In later years, he worked at the Pineland Center in Pownal. Always the professional, he was devoted to giving the kindest of treatment to those in his care. He treated one of his ‘kids’ to a once in a lifetime fishing trip to Moosehead.

Once he returned to Maine from far away travels, he never cared to leave the state of Maine, which he loved. He learned to shoot, hunt and fish from one of the best, his grandfather, Earland Irish. He was reverent about his grandfather’s skills, owing his exceptional marksmanship skill with the rifle to gramps. He eventually lost interest in hunting wildlife, preferring to admire nature with a walk in the woods and focusing on his interest playing tournament bridge with Auburn’s best players, whose company he thoroughly enjoyed. But fishing was always his first love and he spent much time at several of the northern Maine lakes, especially Moosehead, knowing all the best fishing holes and sharing this pastime with his family and fishing friends, Karl and Lorraine Martin.

He is survived by his mother, Dorothy Murray of Auburn; a son, Dana and his wife, Kimberly, and son, Travis, of Texas; sister, Bonnie Parsons and her husband, Henry, of Waterford; sister-in-law, Lise Murray of Lewiston; nieces, Maie Parsons, Shannon Murray and Melissa Murray; and nephews, John Parsons and Scott Murray.

He was predeceased by his father, Frank W. Murray; and his brother, Garth S. Murray.