Rarely does one stumble on work that feeds body, mind, and spirit. Christopher Murray has been incredibly fortunate that Panorama Natural Burial has become one of those vocations. Having buried three family members at the 200-year-old cemetery on Panorama Farms, he saw how leveraging that experience might help the Murray family save Panorama from encroaching development; how it could give the local community a third deathcare option for their loved ones; and how it would cement the legacy of his parents Jim & Bunny Murray, who were avid environmentalists.
He developed affordable housing while working for The Jefferson Area Board for Aging. Now retired, he subsequently developed and owned Carlton House, a 10-room “group care home” for the formerly homeless and minimally employed.
His private sector work includes being a principal in a local, architectural woodworking firm; designing products for several international furniture manufacturers; and, in the early 1990s, co-founding The Children’s Furniture Company.
Mr. Murray has a Bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee University; a Master’s of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University; and is a Certified Aging in Place Specialist. A local resident since 1953, he is married; has two children and three grandchildren.
