Former Seventh-day Adventist world church Undertreasurer William L. Murrill, who helped support the denomination's presence in Myanmar, died December 5 in Shawnee, Kansas. He was 85.

Murrill held several church leadership positions in the Southeast Asian nation before returning to the United States to hold administrative posts for the church in Washington and the Lake Union region.

Shortly after his marriage to Ruth Elvira Wilson -- aunt of current world church President Ted N. C. Wilson -- the couple moved to Burma to serve the church's burgeoning Rangoon Adventist Hospital. William served as the hospital's business manager from 1951 to 1956. Ruth, who had trained as a nurse at Washington Sanitarium and Hospital, joined the medical staff. While in Burma, William oversaw fundraising for a new extension of Rangoon Adventist Hospital. The hospital was nationalized in 1965.

While on furlough from mission service, Murrill in 1961 earned a master's degree in Theology from the Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

William Lawrence Murrill was born in Ripley, West Virginia in 1926 and graduated from Washington Missionary College -- now Washington Adventist University -- in 1949 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.

Murrill served as secretary-treasurer of Burma Union Mission from 1956 until 1962, when he was appointed president of the church's work in Burma. In 1966, Murrill accepted a call to return to the United States and serve as secretary-treasurer of the Washington Conference, headquartered in Seattle.

Murrill later served as president of the Washington Conference. In 1972, he accepted the position of treasurer for the church's Lake Union Conference. While there, he received a call to serve the world church in the capacity of assistant treasurer, a post he held until 1980. Murrill was the world church's undertreasurer from 1980 until his retirement in 1991.

A service is planned for 3:30 p.m., Saturday, December 10 at New Haven Seventh-day Adventist Church in Overland Park, Kansas.