Ben Murillo, Jr.

Ben Murillo, Jr., “Jay” to family and his oldest friends, died on January 2, 2022 He was 81. The eldest of the four Murillo boys born to Benito and Pilar Murillo, the charismatic Ben found success with a lifetime of financial ventures. Many folks who believed they knew him, described him as “born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” That would have been incorrect. Benito and Pilar barely had pennies to rub together let alone nickels during Jay’s early years. His real success came later because of his amazingly innate understanding of the financial markets.

Born in Gary, Indiana on February 9, 1940, Jay was one of the first of a generation which grew rapidly in number from the siblings of Benito and Pilar, Benito having four sisters and Pilar, two brothers and two sisters (Jay would eventually have more than twenty cousins!) In 1944, Benito and Pilar decided to leave Indiana and move their family—which now included their second son, Robert—to California, settling in Oakland. Jay attended Parker Elementary and Frick Junior High, graduating from Castlemont High School in 1957. He later went to California State College at Hayward, studying business and economics while working for Overland Music, his father’s coin-operated business. In 1960, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army, serving his country in the Signal Corp in Stuttgart, Germany. It was in Stuttgart he met Liliane Scheurer.

The attractive and talented Liliane, worked for the U.S. Army as a secretary to a Major who happened to be Ben’s boss. (Jay now preferred the name Ben). The relationship between Ben and Lil blossomed into something special and soon German wedding bells were heard. Their first child, Patricia, was born in 1962. By 1963, Ben, Lil and ‘Trisha’ had settled in California where Ben and Lil had two more children, both boys, Ben, III and Kenneth.

After graduating from Cal State, Ben accepted the position of Senior Vice President at Bank of America becoming one of their youngest portfolio managers. It wasn’t long, though, before he realized the benefits of managing his own fund and founded Murillo Capital Management, a highly successful hedge fund. Later, his experience in investments led to the creation of partnerships in classic vintage cars and real estate. The good-looking, athletic, charming, and extremely bright Ben, loved to compete whether tossing Jarts in his parents’ backyard or racing cars around Sears Point. Unsurprisingly, he rarely lost. And that competitive spirit—and his successes —were an inspiration to his family and friends—motivating them to accomplish their own goals. There was a sense of mystery about Ben. He was one of those special individuals who had the ‘it’ factor, rarely entering a room without heads turning, voices whispering, “Ben’s here,” or folks just staring. He was an original, no one quite like him.

Laurie Baratta, Ben’s wife at the time of his passing, met him in 1990 on a blind date. The two were inseparable, finally tying the knot in Ashland, Oregon in the beautiful bed and breakfast they had built, aptly named A Midsummer’s Dream. Eventually, to escape the Oregon winters, they settled in Marana, Arizona sharing their new home with their faithful furry family: Bogie, Lexi, Chloe, and Toto. Unknown to many,

Ben and Laurie were enthusiastic dog lovers!

We will never forget Ben—or Jay, Dad, Grandpa to list a few of his many names—for his creativity, intellect, professionalism, and competitive spirit. Whether we remember him filming the Yosemite Firefalls as a teenager, shooting baskets in the Alamo driveway, racing ‘round Sears Point and Laguna Seca, or cooking up breakfast on a Christmas morning—or hundreds of other times he shared with friends and family—his death only makes all those times more meaningful and unforgettable.

Ben is survived by Laurie, Liliane, his three children, their families, his brothers, Robert and Ricardo and their families. And Lexi and Toto, too.

A memorial is planned for family only.