Dr. Roary A. Murchison Jr.; Emergency Room Physician

Dr. Roary A. Murchison Jr., an emergency room physician who helped found three occupational medical clinics, has died at his Woodland Hills home. He was 52.

Murchison died Aug. 27 of leukemia, said his longtime companion, Anne Hanssen.

A native of Alabama, Murchison graduated from Ohio State University College of Medicine in the early 1960s and later served in the U.S. Army Special Forces during the Vietnam War. He worked as an emergency room physician in Chino before coming to Woodland Hills in 1980.

He was one of the founders of the California Occupational Medical Clinics, which had offices in Canoga Park, Saugus and Rancho Cucamonga. In the early 1980s, he was on the staff at Tarzana Regional Medical Center and Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital.

He was later on the staff for seven years at Chino Community Hospital, where he worked until last December, when he was found to have leukemia.

Murchison was a longtime member of the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Rancho del Chino Rotary Club and graduated from Pepperdine University with a master’s degree in business administration in 1985. During the past few summers, he hosted visiting Austrian students in his home.

He is survived by his mother, Helen Murchison of Columbus, Ga.; a brother, Philip Murchison of Tulsa, Ok.; and a sister, Jeannie King of Columbia, S.C.

A memorial service is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sept. 16 at Murchison’s home. Donations can be made in his name for leukemia research to The Regents of UCLA, under the direction of Dr. James Gajewski, UCLA Health Sciences, 12-139 Center for Health Sciences, Los Angeles 90024-1724. Praiswater-Pierce Brothers in Canoga Park is handling arrangements.