Estelle Hilton Murdoch

Mary Estelle Hilton Murdoch, 89, was born to Clarence Lester Hilton and Vera Wilkerson Hilton on May 20, 1932, in Wytheville, Virginia. She grew up in the town of Wytheville surrounded by a large and loving family.

In 1950, she graduated from George Wythe High School and went on to study nursing at the Jefferson School of Nursing in Roanoke, Virginia and in 1953, she graduated from Jefferson. Estelle earned the distinction of achieving the highest score ever made on the State of Virginia Nursing Board exam at that time and was awarded the opportunity to complete post graduate work in the program of her choice. Estelle chose to attend the post graduate course of Operating Room Technique and Management at The Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, Texas, and completed her studies in 1958.

Shortly thereafter, she met Byron Randall Lawrence and on December 20, 1958, she became his bride. Estelle continued her nursing career in West Virginia and Virginia and in 1963, Byron and Estelle welcomed their daughter, Leigh. Estelle elected to suspend her career as a nurse to focus on motherhood. Eventually, Byron and Estelle, with their daughter, settled permanently in the Birmingham, Alabama area but decided to part ways in 1976. Estelle returned to her work as a nurse, shortly prior her divorce, at Brookwood Medical Center as a staff operating room nurse and during her 45-year tenure at Brookwood, she became a highly respected department leader and mentor in the nursing service as well as being highly respected by doctors she worked with.

Estelle met Allen Murdoch in the late 1970’s and they were married on October 17, 1980. During their 26 years together, Allen and Estelle enjoyed travel, attending symphony, plays, musicals, museums, reading, entertaining friends and most of all, spending time with family. In 2016, at the age of 84, Estelle officially retired from her beloved profession of nursing and went on to spend her retirement years enjoying time with her friends, her nurse colleagues (once a nurse, always a nurse), spending time with family, doing some light traveling, being involved with her church and church activities and most of all, being a companion to her beloved dog, Sophie.

On October 13, 2021, Estelle passed away quietly in her home after a brief battle with cancer. Estelle is survived by her daughter, Leigh Burnett (Mark), her stepchildren, Emily Turner, Elinor Goodson, Don Murdoch (Stacy), Nelson Murdoch (Debbie) and Neel Murdoch, her nephew, Leslie Hilton, her many grandchildren and her best friend, Hope Colee.

Estelle is preceded in death by her husband, Allen Murdoch, her brother, Clarence Leslie Hilton (Buddy), her sister, Nancie Lee Hilton, her sister-in-law, Helen Dennis and her granddaughter, Leslie Claire Burnett. Estelle was a beloved wife, mother, stepmother, grandmother, sister, aunt, mentor, and friend to us all. She will be greatly missed.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to the friends and neighbors of Crestmont Drive, Marion Hall, her nurse colleagues, her caregivers Maryland, Sharon, Trisha and Toni, Amada Senior Services and Five Points/Aveanna Home Health and Hospice.

A Celebration of Estelle's Life will be held at Second Presbyterian Church on Saturday, November 6, 2021, at 11:00 am with a graveside inurnment to follow at Southern Heritage Cemetery in Pelham, Alabama. Reception to follow,

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Second Presbyterian Church, 1300 Columbiana Road, Vestavia Hills, AL, 35216.