Leland Charles Murphree, Jr.

Leland Charles Murphree, Jr., 79, passed away on Sunday, January 18, 2015. He was born in Meridian, Mississippi on January 25, 1935, to the late Leland Charles Murphree, Sr. and Ethel Louise Green Murphree. He was a graduate of Gainesville High School, Gainesville, Georgia, and received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering magna cum laude from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1957. He was a member of Tau Beta Pi and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies. He was a true Ramblin' Reck from Georgia Tech and was a past president of the Georgia Tech Houston Alumni Chapter. Lee also received a Master of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Houston in 1970. He began his 35 year career with Exxon USA in 1957 in the Baytown, Texas refinery.

In 1959, he transferred to the Headquarters Refining Department as a Crude Oil Supply Analyst. Subsequent assignments were in the Headquarter Supply Department as a Long Range Raw Materials & Products Planning Senior Analyst and in Headquarters Downstream Planning & Analysis Department as a Business Advisor.

His church and family were the center of his world. Lee was a dedicated and long- time member of St. Philip Presbyterian Church where he served as an Elder, chair of the Property Commission and sang in the choir. Lee married Marian Calvert in 1984 and they raised a blended family for 30 years.

Lee is survived by his wife, Marian; daughter, Lee Ann Hawley and husband Robert Buttweiler of Fort Worth, Texas; son, James Andrew Murphree; step sons, Kevin Calvert and wife Emily, and Louis Calvert; sister, Mary Margaret Murphree Willis of Atlanta, Georgia, and nephew, Dr. Richard Lance Willis of Tucson, Arizona. He was lovingly known as Papa and Grandpa Lee to Brooke and Matthew Hawley, Virginia Calvert Martin, Jennifer Calvert Vacek, Brittany Sanchez, Julie Calvert Prieto, and Nolan Calvert. He had 5 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by step son, Keith Calvert; step daughter, Kathryn Calvert Sanchez and step grandson, Ethan Calvert.

The memorial service is to be conducted at eleven o'clock in the morning on Friday, January 23, 2015, at St. Philip Presbyterian Church, 4807 San Felipe Street in Houston, Texas 77056. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception.In lieu of customary remembrances, contributions in Lee's memory may be directed to the St. Philip Presbyterian Church.