‘she loved her kids’webmedia.newseum.org/newseum-multimedia/tfp_archive/2009-02-25/pdf/mi...ever...

By Heather Lynn Petershpeters@muskegonchronicle.com

The father of Andrea Lee Mura hopes his daughter is remembered as a “loving” mother and daughter and not simply as a former jail inmate.

“She was a very good person, really, and knew right from wrong. She got mixed up with the

wrong people and it cost us all,” said Robert L. Mura, 53, of 508 E. Riley Thompson. “It’s really been devastating.”

The body of 29-year-old Andrea was discovered Feb. 11 lying along an Egelston Town-ship road, nearly a month after she walked away from Mus-kegon County Vector Control where had been assigned to work as an inmate of the Mus-kegon County Jail.

Mura was serving a 10-month sentence for retail fraud at the time of her death, court records show. Her death is under inves-tigation by the Muskegon Coun-ty Sheriff’s Office.

Her father, who operates an auto repair shop, said Andrea

contacted him the day she disappeared. That was the last time they spoke.

“She did call me and tell me that she didn’t want to go back to jail. I was at work and I was with a customer and I had to cut her short. That was the last I ever heard from her,” he said. “But I did tell her I love her.”

Robert Mura said he and his wife, Marjorie, who were married in 1994, are in the process of adopting Andrea’s two sons, Ethan, 4, and Elijah, 3. But parenting Andrea’s children is bittersweet, he said.

“We’re delighted to have the children, but to lose my daughter is the greatest loss we’ve ever had,” he said. “She was a very loving mother and she loved her kids.”

Prior to motherhood, Andrea struggled in her

teen years, particularly after her father and mother, Pamela Beegle, divorced in 1983, he said. She didn’t excel in school, but eventually earned her General Edu-cation Degree, he said.

Later, Andrea developed a drug habit, which led to a number of other problems in her life, her father said.

Family embraces happier memories of a troubled life

unity festival lines up christian favorites LOCAL•REGION 3A

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COMMUNITY COlleGe Breaking the cycle

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‘she loved her kids’

Chroniclephoto•Kendrastanley-Mills

RobertMurawrestleswithhisgrandsons,Ethan,4,standing,andElijah,3.TheboysarethechildrenofMura’slatedaughter,AndreaMura,whosebodywasfoundinEgelstonTownshipFeb.11nearlyamonthaftershewentmissingfromacountyjailworkreleasejob.

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Photos•Murafamily

AndreaMurawasadevotedmothertoElijah,aboveleft,andEthan,right,accordingtoherfather.

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it’s important for people to understand how damaging drugs are. they are so damaging to families.”

Robert Mura, father of Andrea Mura

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what’s up for the rest of the season?SPORTS 1B

By Marla Millermmiller@muskegonchronicle.com

Despite a dismal economy, voters in the Mona Shores Public Schools district approved a $13 million bond extension for building and technol-ogy upgrades by a resounding margin.

Tuesday’s special election asked residents to keep the millage rate at its current 4.3 mills and extend it two years through 2019, and 64 percent of voters said “yes.” The proposal passed in all but one precinct in Norton Shores and Roosevelt Park.

A total of 5,263 ballots were cast out of the dis-trict’s 18,008 registered voters for a 29.2 percent voter turnout. Mona Shores school officials and bond supporters gathered at Mona Lake Boat Club to wait for results and later celebrate.

“It was a convincing win and we’re so grateful for the community support,” said Superintendent Terry Babbitt. “These efforts are done on behalf of students, present and future. These building and site improvements will serve students for generations.”

The bond extension will address:

• High school: $8 million in building upgrades, including $4 million for a new competition gym, plus an indoor track, new fitness center, addi-tional storage and lockers for athletic teams; $1 million for stadium facilities such as a ticket booth, concession area and new outdoor rest-rooms; turning three classrooms into six, adding adequate labs for science; a new music class-room for small ensembles; modernizing the career/technical arts building; and adding light-ing to the soccer/softball complex.

• Middle school: $2 million to construct a new orchestra classroom; redesign middle school traffic circulation; expand the cafeteria and kitchen; improve tennis courts and add alumi-num bleachers to the athletic field.

• Elementary schools: $1 million for play-ground improvements, flooring replacement, parking lot/traffic upgrades.

• Other: $1.5 million for districtwide technol-ogy upgrades and $500,000 for six new buses; water-saving plumbing fixtures, thermal doors and windows, lighting improvements and ener-gy-efficient heating and cooling.

Shores handily passes $13M bond extension