Obituaries

Lois V. GrimmBusinesswoman

Lois V. Grimm, 91, a co-founder of Martin's Herend Imports, an importer, wholesaler and distributor of hand-crafted porcelain dinnerware and figurines, died of a lung ailment March 11 at her daughter's home in Leesburg.

Mrs. Grimm's entry into the retail business began in 1955 when she and her husband, Robert Grimm, bought Martin's China, Crystal and Silver Shop on Connecticut Avenue, just south of Dupont Circle.

The couple later moved the store to the 1300 block of Wisconsin Avenue, and in 1969 relocated it to Sterling. By then, the business focused on the wholesale market with small gift shops and large, high-end department stores.

In 1979, Mrs. Grimm turned the company over to her daughter, Dianne Grimm Murphy, but continued as vice president of its board of directors until her death.

Mrs. Grimm, a McLean resident, was a native Washingtonian and a graduate of Roosevelt High School. As a young woman, she was a secretary in the Washington office of Antarctic explorer Richard E. Byrd.

She was a member of Washington Golf and Country Club and St. John's Episcopal Church in McLean.

For about four years, until 2005, Mrs. Grimm was the administrator of a charitable foundation named after her husband's former boss, Coleman Jennings, a Washington philanthropist.

Her husband died in 2001 after 66 years of marriage.

In addition to her daughter, of Leesburg, survivors include a son, Leonard Grimm of Bradenton, Fla., and Ocean City, Md.; a brother, Stanley Payne of Rockville; four grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.

George H. McMurryGlass Business Estimator

George Howard McMurry, 58, who had spent the past year as a senior estimator at Kensington Glass Arts Inc. in Kensington, died April 7 at Suburban Hospital of a cerebral hemorrhage.

McMurry was born in Jackson, Miss., and attended the University of Mississippi. He was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War, and he stayed in Washington after military duty at the Pentagon.

Through a friend, he began work in the commercial glass industry. He spent nearly 30 years as a project manager and estimator with Herson Glass Co. in Washington.

An Alexandria resident, he was a former board member of the Fairfax County-based Parklawn Recreation Association. He used his construction expertise to help fix and maintain the association's pool facilities.

He also was a Cub Scout leader.

Survivors include his wife of 25 years, Rebecca Haislip McMurry, and two children, Patrick McMurry and Gracie McMurry, all of Alexandria; and his mother, Grace McMurry of Jackson.

Susan Duh HeffronWashington Lawyer

Susan Duh Heffron, 48, a lawyer and litigation coordinator who had worked for the Washington law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld for more than five years, died March 30 at George Washington University Hospital.

A spokeswoman for the D.C. medical examiner's office said the cause of death was pending tests.

The daughter of Hungarian immigrants, Mrs. Heffron was a native of Allentown, Pa., and was a summa cum laude graduate of Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa. She was a 1982 graduate of Catholic University law school.

Early in her career, she worked for several law firms in Washington, including Piper & Marbury. There, she was a litigation coordinator -- helping with pre-trial work -- for the defense in the massive Love Canal environmental waste case in Upstate New York.

She continued to work on environmental cases as well as intellectual property disputes. More recently, she focused on lawsuits related to insurance matters.

She was a member of St. Dominic Catholic Church in Washington, her city of residence. She also enjoyed playing classical piano.

Survivors include her husband of 20 years, William J. Heffron of Washington; her mother, Maria J. Duh of Allentown; and a sister.

Donna Lee McGeeTextile Lobbyist

Donna Lee McGee, 61, former director of government relations for Burlington Industries Inc., died of colon cancer April 9 at her home in Arlington.

Ms. McGee worked for the textile manufacturer from 1980 to 2000, when she retired. She was on the staff of Rep. Jerome A. Ambro (D-N.Y.) from 1976 until 1980.

She was born in Huntington, N.Y., and graduated from the University of Kansas in 1967. She taught school for nine years in New York before moving to the Washington area.

Survivors include her husband, Anthony "Tony" Cluff of Arlington, and a sister.

Edward D. FriedmanDeputy Solicitor, Mayor

Edward D. Friedman, 93, a deputy solicitor in the Labor Department during the Johnson administration and former mayor of Garrett Park, died of complications from a bone marrow disorder April 4 at his home in Truro, Mass.

Mr. Friedman worked in the federal government from 1939 to 1969, when he turned to private law practice. He was a town councilman in Garrett Park in the 1950s and 1960s and served three terms as mayor.

Born in Chicago, he graduated from the University of Chicago, and earned a law degree there in 1937. He moved to Washington two years later, working as a lawyer for the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of Price Administration, the Labor Department and the National Labor Relations Board.

In 1960, he worked for the Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee before joining the Johnson administration as deputy solicitor at Labor.

In private law practice, he specialized in labor-management relations and railroad labor issues. He argued a case before the U.S. Supreme Court that resulted in a unanimous decision in 1982 affirming the right of employees at the state-owned Long Island (N.Y.) Railroad to strike.

Mr. Friedman retired in 1989 and left the Washington area, dividing his time between Massachusetts, Arizona and New York.

His first wife of 49 years, Mary Lou Friedman, died in 1997.

Survivors include his wife, Carol Phillips Green of Truro and New York City; four children from his first marriage, Michael Friedman of Oneonta, N.Y., Daniel Friedman of Oak Park, Ill., Mary Eleanor Szabat of Potomac and Elizabeth Mohr of Madison, Wis.; and five grandchildren.