Dawn S. Murr
Towson Unitarian Universalist Church member, landscape designer worked in Baltimore City Department of Planning
Dawn Stewart Murr, a retired landscape designer, gardener and artist, died of vascular dementia Sept. 12 at Springwell Assisted Living in Mount Washington. The former Stoneleigh resident was 86.
Born in Atlanta, she was the daughter of Dr. Calvin B. Stewart, an oncologist, and his wife, Pearl Buchanan. She attended Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. As a student, she married Brown L. Murr, who went on to join the chemistry faculty of the Johns Hopkins University. They lived in Virginia, Indiana and Cambridge, Massachusetts, before settling in Baltimore’s Chinquapin Park community in 1962.
Family members said that while living in Cambridge, Ms. Murr studied Asian cooking with Joyce Chen, a restaurateur and cookbook author.
Ms. Murr later earned a bachelor’s degree in urban planning at the University of Maryland, College Park. She joined the Baltimore City Department of Planning, where she worked in landscape design for neighborhoods designated for urban renewal and community revitalization.
“Dawn was an enthusiastic Baltimore booster who helped to write the Citizens Planning and Housing Association’s Bawlamer guide book,” said a friend, Jacqueline “Jacqui” Lampell, a Catonsville resident. “She had a Southern charm and made friends easily.”
She later lived in Stoneleigh in a 1920s-style home that she surrounded with a garden she designed.
“She was a fan of wild English gardens and put a lot of attention into acquiring the right plants,” said her son, Andrew Murr, of Los Angeles.
Ms. Murr also had a private landscape design business and did floral arrangements.
“In her own watercolor painting, she blended vibrant colors and Impressionist light to capture beauty in everyday landscapes and interiors,” her son said. “She was one of many Baltimore-area artists who studied with the late Ingrid Rehert, at that artist’s Reservoir Hill studio.”
She was an active member of Towson Unitarian Universalist Church, where she served on the Caring Committee, designed landscaping and managed Gallery Unicorn, the church’s art gallery.
“Dawn Murr was a cherished member of the church for close to 40 years,” said her pastor, the Rev. Clare L. Petersberger. “She had sparkling eyes, a wide smile, boundless energy, and a lovely Southern drawl. Dawn personified graciousness: always curious about how another was doing; always kind; always creating beauty in the natural world as a landscape designer and on canvas as a visual artist.”
Her pastor said Ms. Murr remembered being invited to the congregation by friends and was drawn to the liberal religious tradition.
“She had been raised Presbyterian, and her father had been a Sunday School teacher,” said Ms. Petersberger. “Her first volunteer efforts at TUUC were directed toward our Sunday school. She wanted a place for children to be encouraged to learn about different faith traditions and for parents to support one another.”
She also said: “Dawn was a talented artist. She volunteered as a member of our Gallery Unicorn, and she remembered how it was named. The first gallery director said, ‘We are UU’s. Why don’t we choose something which starts with a U?’ Dawn went on to serve as director of our Gallery Unicorn and organized artists and hang their shows.”
Ms. Murr was member of the church’s Caring Committee.
“She believed it was important to offer assistance to those in need,” Ms. Petersberger said.
Ms. Murr also served on the church Memorial Garden Committee.
“Her talents as a landscape designer contributed to its final design,” said her pastor. “It is poignant that her name will now appear on our memorial wall and be surrounded by beautiful trees and greens she thoughtfully chose and lovingly planted.”
Gail Moreland, a friend who lives in Syracuse, New York, recalled their trips to gardens in France.
“Dawn loved to travel, liked the French Dordogne area — and getting off the road,” Ms. Moreland said. “She was enthusiastic about gardens that were not formal. Dawn was gracious and dignified and was an optimist. She liked the beauty in things.”
Another son, Peter S. Murr, a Parkville resident, said, “Mymother was a thoughtful and kind person and spent a lot of time taking care of my children when they were young. “
He recalled her enthusiasm for travel and the times she spent in old cities and art museums. She also studied French and Chinese cooking and devoted time to entertaining.
Plans for a funeral are incomplete. In addition to her two sons, survivors include a brother, Boardman Stewart of Franklin, Tennessee; five grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter. Her marriage ended in divorce.