Telegraph assistant editor passes

By Kathy Feist

It is with deep sorrow that I share with Telegraph readers the passing of reporter and assistant editor Jill Murray Draper who died on January 12th at the age of 72.

Jill was with the Telegraph for the past 10 years. She was what I always called the newspaper’s voice of reason. Her intelligence, wit, thoughtfulness and talent as a writer and editor made her an invaluable asset to the Telegraph family. She will be greatly missed.

Jill was born in St. Louis, the daughter of Gene Francis Murray and Jean Alma (Vogel) Murray. She received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, Columbia and began her journalism career in the 1970s as a newspaper reporter for the Daily Ardmoreite, Ardmore, Oklahoma, and the Evansville, Indiana Courier. She moved on to the news office at Washington University in St. Louis.

She met Harold Draper, a graduate student at Washington University; they were married in 1982 and moved to Tallahassee, Florida, the next year.

While living in Tallahassee, she worked for the Florida League of Hospitals and the Florida Department of Education.

She had her two children while living in Tallahassee and Jackson, Mississippi. While taking care of her young children, she edited and published a professional journal for the Association of Consulting Foresters.

In the 1990s and 2000s, she worked in public relations and events planning for the Knoxville-Knox County, Tennessee, Metropolitan Planning Commission.

In 2007, she and her husband moved to Kansas City. She worked in public relations and events planning for Powell Gardens and the City of Kansas City, Missouri, where she produced a quarterly employee newsletter and biannual magazine for the public. She also completed freelance writing assignments for local, regional, and national publications including Midwest Living, Missouri Life, and Kansas City Star.

She was active in New Neighbors League monthly social events, book club and bunco groups. She served on the board of Gardeners Connect.

She enjoyed gardening, especially with native plants; domestic and international travel to cultural, historic, and natural areas; walking her dogs Bitsy and Bonnie and taking Bonnie to the dog park; and painting portraits and landscapes. In every activity, she was always on the lookout for interesting people and places to profile.

Jill was preceded in death by her parents and is survived by husband Harold, daughters Julia and Karen, and brother Scott Murray.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to DeepRootsKC, https://deeproots.org/ , Post Office Box 32131, Kansas City, Missouri 64171.

A Celebration of Life Gathering will be held at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home, located at 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, MO 64131, on January 23, from 3 to 5 pm.