Murray Damon Bath

Murray was born in London England to Dorothy Ellen Bath (Dot) and Kenneth Charles Bath on March 9, 1941. In that first year, he and his mother were evacuated to the coast to escape German bombings. His father, a photographer for the RAF, was stationed in Iceland but Dot and Murray stayed in London. In 1944,  brother Leigh Howard Adrian Bath was born, and in 1945,   sister Beverley Francine Bath was born. However, life was not easy in London after the war ended, so his parents decided to emigrate to Johannesburg, South Africa. His father had been born in Rhodesia but spent his school years in Grahamstown Cape Province, so he was familiar with the country. Obtaining tickets on a ship was impossible, so they travelled on a DC3 plane from London to Marseille, Wadi Halfa, Nairobi, Bulawayo, and finally Johannesburg, stopping each night.

There, his father first set up a photography studio, then worked for Anglo American Corporation of SA as an industrial photographer. His parents bought a new three bedroom house at 207 Barry Hertzog Avenue, Emmarentia. The family enjoyed the climate and wonderful food of South Africa, so different than the war years in England. Murray attended Roosevelt High School, graduating with five distinctions, but not in Afrikaans!  The children enjoyed growing up in South Africa, with the freedom of cycling everywhere and playing at nearby Emmerentia Dam. Murray at one time, earned pocket money by raising mice and selling them to a pet store. He became interested in classical music and started to buy albums in his teenage years. Later he bought his first car, a 1947 MG which he remodeled with the help of his brother Leigh and Dot’s sewing machine. His first wanted to be an architect ,then changed to engineering.

Murray attended The University of the Witwatersrand with a scholarship and graduated with a Batchelor of Science in Engineering (Metallurgy) cum laude in 1963. He was awarded the Chamber of Mines Research Scholarship Gold Medal and bursary to continue his studies, a high honor. He then worked at the Research Lab of Anglo American Corporation while deciding where to attend further studies for his Master’s degree. Although he was accepted at Berkeley, California, he decided to attend the University of British Columbia in Vancouver Canada. He travelled there in 1965 and achieved his Master of Applied Science in the Department of Metallurgy in 1968. He enjoyed his life at UBC and took up skiing, attended classical performances and concerts of new rock groups such as the “Doors” and “Jefferson Airplane”. There he met his future wife, Louise Lynne Norman, on a blind date seeing the movie “Lawrence of Arabia”. She had never met someone with such varied interests.

After he graduated, he was required to accept employment for 18 months in the Chamber of Mines in Johannesburg.  Leaving Vancouver, they drove across Canada in a 60’s Chevy together. Louise returned to her job in Vancouver and Murray travelled to Europe and spent two months there visiting Spain, North Africa, Italy and Greece. Louise joined him in Johannesburg the following year and they were married in November of 1970. The next 17 years involved many moves due to Murray’s job as a Metallurgical Engineer. First they travelled to Paris to get a visa for Murray to work at a mine in Mauretania, West Africa for 18 months. After returning to South Africa they bought a house and lived there until 1977. Murray ‘s next job was in Perth, Australia where their daughter Camilla Sarah Bath was born. They then travelled to Vancouver Canada where their second daughter, Claudia Susan Bath was born. In 1985, they moved to Denver Colorado for two years until the next move to a mine in the Dominican Republic. Their last move in 1987 was back to Denver where they bought their present home. Throughout his working life, Murray   travelled extensively to mines all around the world, including South America, to Europe, Africa and Australia, designing plants to process the ore at the mines.

In Denver they raised their two children and Murray developed his interest in woodworking and projects around the house big and small. His pride and joy was his large workshop in the basement. He enjoyed owning a 1971 Porche 911T and then a 2013 Porsche Boxster S convertible. He kept up his interest in classical music and opera with trips to the Sante Fe Opera. Later years were filled with travelling to the UK where his brother and sister lived, many trips to Canada to see Louise’s family, to Costa Rica and trips to Norway as Louise’s interest in Norwegian rosemaling developed. Their last trip in February of 2023 was a Viking cruise along the Mississippi.

In 2010, to their lasting sorrow, their daughter Claudia passed away at the age of 29 of congestive heart failure. She also suffered from bipolar disorder and IBS and bravely fought all of those problems. Their older daughter, Camilla went on to marry Joseph Paonessa and have two wonderful children, Owen and Lucie. Murray and Louise enjoyed having the family close by and watching their grandchildren grow up.

 In the last 15 years of his life, Murray developed Parkinson’s disease which eventually ended his life on February 6, 2024. He never complained but just soldiered on until the end. He truly was a Renaissance Man, cultured, knowledgeable, educated and interested in a wide range of fields.

He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Louise Lynne Bath, his daughter Camilla Sarah Paonessa, his son-in-law Joseph Paonessa, his grandchildren Owen Murray and Lucie Elizabeth Paonessa, his brother Leigh Bath and sister-in-law Shelley Bath, their children Oliver, Bonnie and Patrick, his sister Beverley Lewis and son Gregory Lewis. His absence will be keenly felt.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 27th, 2024 from 3pm-5pm at Horan & McConaty Centennial Chapel. Please RSVP to Louise at lbath25@comcast.net.