Donald Philips McMurray was the son of Bertha (Phillips) and her husband Robert McMurray, and he was also the husband of Raemond Patricia McCarthy who he married in 1939. He was a teacher all his life and all of his positions were in country areas or small towns in the North Island. Many of his pupils in these schools were Maori and he maintained an interest in Maori Education throughout his career.
Leith McMurray presented to the University of Waikato Library a box containing papers and notes of content related to dealing with aspects of Māori education in Taumarunui and Whanganui in the late 1960s