CAPE ELIZABETH – David Gordon Murray passed away peacefully on April 10, 2022 at his home in Cape Elizabeth.David was born on May 5, 1964, in Brunswick, the middle child of the late Gordon Murray and the late Jean Cheetham Murray. He attended Brunswick public schools until his teenage years, when he began his long affiliation with Spurwink. He attended Spurwink schools and lived in a Spurwink group home until 2014, when he moved to his shared living home in Cape Elizabeth.David was a great friend, making it a habit to stay in touch with those he cared about. He never forgot birthdays, holidays or to offer his hand in greeting with a bright, enthusiastic letter or email. He enjoyed listening to quiet music, especially country and folk music. David read about, browsed, and, when possible, bought the latest technology. He was a self-educated font expert and was proud of his extensive library of font books. David enjoyed a healthy lifestyle of exercise and paid attention to his diet. This did not prevent him from enjoying delicious food, and he frequented a variety of local restaurants. He counted seafood, Italian sandwiches and almost anything spicy among his favorite foods.Besides his kindness and unconditionally loving nature, we will also remember David for his prolific career as a writer and artist. In the last few years, his lifelong desire to publish a book was brought to fruition by the team of artists at the now defunct Momentum Bomb Diggity Arts community-support program in Portland. With their untiring support, he realized life as a working artist.He enjoyed a well-received solo art show, “Seagull Be Quiet” at Portland’s Pinecone and Chickadee in December 2018. His iconic “Seagull be Quiet” image and catchphrase was the inspiration for one of Foulmouthed Brewing’s IPAs, aptly named “Seagull be Quiet” which showcased David’s distinctive seagull on the label. His longtime dream of writing a book came true in December 2021 with the publishing of his book of writings and drawings “Seagull Be Quiet, A Year in Time 2020-2021,” again with the help of his mentors at Bomb Diggity Arts, especially Amelia Garretson-Persans.During the last few months, David’s health challenges made his return to Bomb Diggity Arts impossible. He sadly shared with his bedside visitors the news that “Bomb Diggity is closing” referring to the end of the program, with its 12-year history of successfully nurturing and supporting artists with intellectual disabilities, due to lack of funding.His sister, Donna Spencer (Bill) survives him as well as his nephew Justin Spencer; his sister, Linda Raul, all of Brunswick; and his niece, Jean Raul of Portland. Also surviving him are many dear friends, including Heather Young, Tom Richardson, Graham and Brooke Lloyd, and Paula Schwach who all cared for him during his last days.There will be a memorial gathering and birthday celebration for David on May 5, from 12 to 2 p.m., at the Portland New Church, 302 Stevens Ave., Portland. The memorial is an opportunity for all those who knew and loved David to gather, share their memories of him and celebrate a wonderful life well lived.

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