To my son Joel,

I love and miss you very much. My heart aches knowing I cannot see you or hear your voice anymore. Please remember that I have always been immensely proud of you and your accomplishments in life. Yesterday, your Dad and I held a celebration of life for you. It was beautiful! Many friends and family members attended. There was food, flowers and music. Some gave brief speeches on why they cherished knowing you.  Many came up to me personally to tell me about their memories of you. Hearing these things from others helped me understand, even more, what a beautiful and kind person you were. It also reminded me of the vast variety of experiences you had in your life. Although short, you were fortunate to have lived a very full life.

I can’t express enough how much you are missed by me, Jim, and your sisters. Our lives are forever changed now that you are gone.

Love always,
Mom

Joel was --and remains-- a beacon of intellectual depth and introspection and one of the most politically-intrigued individuals I have ever known. Joel helped me start relations with political campaigns (both D & R candidates), and we often spoke at fundraisers while he was at MDK Law. Joel and I both attended a private 90th birthday celebration for Senator Slade Gorton, and Slade often appeared at events hosted by Joel and I. When we had legal issues involving political considerations at the firm Joel often called upon his (both D & R) contacts for input. Evidence of Joel's superlative reach into the realm of politics and law were multiple meetings with our former Washington Attorney General, and repeated meetings with former US Senator Slade Gorton- who discussed with us the legal strategies utilized to save Major League Baseball in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest over lunch in Bellevue.
During the years I worked with Joel there were many Mariners games we attended, several McCartney concerts jointly attended, many sessions in which we traded pro-and-con positions on legal matters, and Republican events held at various Bellevue venues. Even in his final illness, however, Joel and I spoke of how he wanted to be sure that his clients' interests would be taken care of. And although in discussions Joel would often analyze and critique the political positions of cohorts and politicians, I never heard him criticize any personal characteristics of others. 
Pax et caritas.

Joel had a passion and a tenderness for others, a boldness that occasionally stopped the show, and a brilliant intellect—and innocence—that I found incredible and enlightening. He know things that others did not, and he wasn’t afraid of speaking his mind. To be bold, and brave, and to care for others—is special, and Joel was special.

I don’t know that I’ll ever know how to make sense of tragedy like this, or that we’re supposed to; but I do take solace in knowing that even the life that ends way too soon is eternal in the memories it leaves behind.

Joel is remembered in many of us and so too is his legacy.

I am so sorry and shocked by the news. Joel was a civic engagement warrior. We became good friends upon working together on the Simple Majority for School Levies campaign in 2007, which we won by thinnest of margins, a testament to our hard work and collaboration. Joe's intelligence and great sense of humor and camraderie will be sorely missed. My heartfelt condolences to his family.

Joel was one of my absolute favorite people I met at Tumwater High School. We took a lot of classes together over the years (often sat right by one another with alphabetical seating charts) and we worked together on a number of group projects. The class that stands out most was AP Government in our senior year. Joel's obvious passion and enthusiasm for law & politics enriched the experience for everyone and honestly made it feel more like a college Political Science class than a high school class. He could easily have taught the class himself, and sometimes it felt like he was doing just that. His presentation on the whole story behind "if it doesn't fit, you must acquit" still stands out as my favorite presentation I saw in high school.

In addition to being very smart and hard-working, Joel was a genuinely kind, open-minded, and good-natured person. Having that type of strong reputation, it was obvious that he would get elected ASB president once he announced his intention to run. He was also really funny. He especially used to crack me up when talking about his Portland Trailblazers (also known as the "Jail Blazers" at the time, which he found hilarious) and his impression of Rasheed Wallace's "both teams played hard" press conference had me laughing for days.

Our paths also frequently crossed at UW. Joel's fraternity was about a half block from my house at the time, and it was always fun to run into him at social gatherings or at a UW football or basketball game. We would always make a point to chat for a while to catch up and talk about politics or sports. It was great seeing Joel apply his positive and open-minded outlook to try everything that the college experience had to offer. It was clear that he was really coming into his own during these years.

We stayed in touch through our early-20s, often through him inviting me to politics-oriented meetups. Even though we had different political orientations, Joel created a great environment for open and friendly debate and it was always an excellent time. I honestly feel like American politics would be so much better off if more people were more like Joel. I always hoped that he would run for office one day and he would have 100% got my vote.

Knowing Joel's interests and aspirations, it makes me VERY happy to see that he accomplished so much in these areas. It's very rare for someone to find their passion early on, make an ambitious plan to achieve it, then exceed those expectations in their 30s. That his aspirations involved helping others instead of just focusing on personal achievement is no surprise. Very very impressive.

I will always remember Joel fondly.

I am so sorry to hear this heartbreaking news. My condolences to Joel's family. He was not only fiercely intelligent but also genuinely kind.

Thanks Joel. We will miss you. Mike

I am truly blessed to have known Joel Murray for the last 16 years. At UC Davis Law School he was very active in the Democratic Law Students Association with me and I got to see his passion and care for others on full display.

After law school, he and I worked on multiple cases together. He assisted my firm, based in California, with Washington cases and vice versa. He was a fantastic advocate. I have lost not just a friend but a valued colleague as well.

My condolences to all his family and other friends. I will always think of him every time a classic rock song comes on — I last saw him when he came to the Bay Area for a Paul McCartney concert. He must have been one of the youngest fans there, but the old soul told me he felt right at home. 

I'm so sorry to hear of Joel's passing. He was in our wedding, and just...he was always such a sweet guy. I wish I had gotten to talk with him more.

Sending my deepest condolences to Joel's family. It was evident in High School how smart Joel was, and his remarkable career is testament to that intellect and his passions. I'm so sorry for your loss.

I went to law school with Joel and always admired his intelligence and kind nature. It is a shock to learn that he is gone. Far too young and far too soon. My deepest condolences to his parents and family on this tremendous loss.

I knew Joel through our work to co-lead a political club in law school. I admired his passion for progressive and inclusive values and ability to successfully balance school with the extracurricular responsibility. I extend my condolences to Joel’s loved ones; may his memory be a blessing to you all.

Though it is difficult for me to write this, I am grateful to Joel for the 20+ years of friendship that we’ve had. Joel was a selfless human being who looked out for his friends and stood up to what he felt to be unjust. I always respected his perspectives on legal and political matters as well as his deep subject matter expertise on the ruling family of North Korea. Joel served his community with a passion, both as an attorney and helping with multiple political campaigns. I will miss the many chats we’ve had about geo-politics, business, UW football, and everything in between. Joel was a truly genuine person, and I will always treasure his kindness and friendship.  

I always appreciated Joel's interest in politics and belief in democracy. He always had a wry comment about the state of affairs. He very much wanted to help his clients. And he had excellent taste in music, which I garner from stories he shared he owed in no small amount to his father. My thoughts go out to his family.   

You will be missed.