Fifty years has gone way too quickly! Life is good.

OBITURY...
A spirited soul who shuffled through life with a glint in his eye and a penchant for adventure, Al, as he is known by his friends and family, has shed his mortal vessel and ventured into the great unknown. He passed during the wee hours at 12:17am on May 5, 2024.
Almost 75 years prior, in the wintery grips of December (12/17, in fact) Al, the younger sibling to Rod and Janet was born to Jack and Ethelwynn Murchison in Highmore, SD.
In 1951, Al's family uprooted to Rapid City, SD, which he came to call his lifelong home. He graduated from Rapid City High in 1968, the same year he married Mary Bowlby. The marriage, which produced two children, Tiffany and Chad, lasted eleven years.
When he was seventeen, Al went to work part-time at North Central Supply. After high school, he tried college at the School of Mines for two years, but left. Engineering wasn’t for him. He returned to North Central Supply. Thirty-seven years later, he switched allegiances to Commercial Door and Specialties, dedicating another 15 years during which time he retired, not once, but twice.
In 1983, Al married Robbie. They merged families. Robbie brought two sons, Nathan and Jake. The couple was together for nearly forty years. Together, they rode motorcycles, a shared passion that started in 1987 with a Gold Wing. Robbie started riding her own in 2001. They traveled across the U.S. and Canada, logging almost 750,000 miles in total. And their travels didn’t stop at the borders. Together, they went on 18 cruises, going to the Mexican Riviera several times, Eastern/Western/Southern Caribbean hitting almost all the islands as well as going through the Panama Canal. The highlight of their cruises was on Wind Star, which left Lisbon, Portugal, sailing to Morocco, through the Straits of Gibraltar and up the coast of Spain ending in Barcelona. In addition to these travels they also traveled to Italy many times, more of Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Alaska. They left no moss grow under their feet.
Health issues came for Al. Over ten years, he had two open heart surgeries and battled congestive heart failure. But he kept riding and traveling. Al and Robbie’s favorite destination and “home away from home” was Aruba, where they returned every spring for 31 years. And was where Al spent the bulk of his final days.
Al’s family includes his wife Robbie; her sons, Nathan Fleming (Danica) and grandsons Ethan and Kaleb, Jake Fleming (Crystal) and granddaughter Betty; his son Chad Murchison and grandchildren Avery and Graham; and daughter Tiffany Staples (Ted) and grandchildren Kayla and Alex. His friends in Aruba, his motorcycle buddies, and many others will remember him.
Al lived straightforwardly, with vigor and a directness that marked his days. He faced life and death with the same quiet resolve, always looking forward to the next ride, the next horizon.
There will be visitation at Kirk Funeral Home on Tuesday, May 7th, from 4-6pm; and Celebration of Life Service at Zion Lutheran Church on Wednesday, May 8th at 11am with luncheon to follow.