Pair Killed by Tree Limb Recalled for Friendliness

A day after a tree branch fell on Kelly Murray's minivan, killing her and her 7-year-old daughter, Sloane, grieving friends and relatives gathered at the family's home in Chevy Chase.

"She made an incredible connection with a lot of people," said Brian Friel, a family friend and unofficial family spokesman who was at the Murray home yesterday afternoon. "She just gave of herself. She was just so selfless." Murray's husband Sean, 40, a lawyer, declined to comment through Friel.

The accident occurred about 7:20 p.m. as Murray, 40, drove her Toyota south on Connecticut Avenue near East West Highway about half a mile from her home, according to Montgomery County police.

She was driving Sloane, four of her other children -- Meghan, 11, Maeve, 6, Quinn, 2, and Kieran, 10 months -- and two of the youngsters' friends home from swim practice with the Chevy Chase Recreation Association's Stingrays team, Friel said. A meet scheduled for last night was suspended, a club spokesman said.

One of the childrens' friends broke her arm, Friel said. Meghan was hospitalized overnight for minor head injuries but was released yesterday. The couple's oldest child, Jillian, 12, was home at the time of the accident.

Friends and relatives described Murray, a clinical psychologist, as a "superwoman." A tenured professor at Loyola University in Baltimore and a U.S. Navy officer, according to Friel, she owned and operated a private practice, ran a summer camp focused on building young girls' self-esteem and coached youth soccer.

Murray was active in her church, the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament Church in Northwest Washington, which will hold a memorial service for Murray and Sloane at 7 p.m. tomorrow.

Joan April, who met the family five years ago when it moved next door, also visited the Murrays yesterday. "She was just an amazing person," she said of Murray. "There was never doing anything halfway. If I ever had to ask for a favor, I'd ask Kelly."

April said she shared a special bond with Sloane, who she said was curious and sensitive and liked to push the limits of authority. "She was a daredevil, but we connected," April said. "She knew she could come over here and get attention."

April and her husband, Richard Greene, were friendly with all the Murray children. The couple left signs on the front door for the children, who often visited, indicating whether they could come in.

One pink sign remains: "Hi Sloane, Maeve + Quinn. Please come in. We love you, Joan April, Richard Greene."