Eva Lois Murphy

Eva Lois Maness Murphy was born October 7, 1929 in Henderson County, Tennessee to Ervin Dean and Zula Scott Maness. She was the first of 5 children born to this farming family living in the Presley Ridge Community. She was educated in the county schools and graduated from Scotts Hill High School. She attended West Tennessee Business College in Jackson, Tennessee.

On July 30, 1950 she and Calvin Peay Murphy were married in Corinth, Mississippi and made their home in Jackson. Lois worked for the Frankland Carriage Company for many years balancing the duties of mothering 4 children and working. She made a decision to change careers in 1975 and began taking classes with H & R Block to become a tax preparer. She loved this change and made many new friends through her work. She left this career in 2005 to stay at home with her already retired husband.

Lois was a very active member of Forest Heights United Methodist Church and the Bogard Dunn Sunday School Class. She served the Church in many capacities until illness hampered her activity but it never deterred her love for her Church and its work.

Lois was diagnosed with Lewy Body Disease in 2007 and has bravely fought against this insurmountable disease. Lois lost this battle in the early hours of Tuesday, March 2. The family is so very grateful to Dr. Jennifer Johnson and to the entire staff at Maplewood Healthcare for taking such loving care of our MeMaw and our entire family during this battle. Words cannot repay the support that you have given us during this time.

Lois is survived by her husband of 59 years, Calvin Peay Murphy, Sr; a daughter, Barbara Jarvis [Gil] and 3 sons, Calvin [Carla], Scott [Cindy] all of Jackson and David [Jane] of Germantown, TN. She had 10 grandchildren who delighted in calling her ‘MeMaw’: Grant Jarvis [Brandi], Brent Jarvis, Bland Murphy, Margaret Dean [Brent], Mary McMillin [Curt], Anna Murphy, Hunter Murphy [Christy], Laura Murphy, Ben Murphy and Sarah Murphy. Lois was blessed with an additional group of little ones that brought a twinkle to her eye, her great-grandchildren: Chloe Grace Jarvis, Audrey Dean, Sam McMillin, Ava Torres, Tyler Murphy, Makayla Murphy and day old Sawyer Grant Dean. She was preceded in death by granddaughter, Jennifer Murphy, in 1984. Also surviving are Lois’s siblings: Bill Maness of Huntsville, AL; Joceil Pryor of Memphis, TN; Helen Mullins of Jackson; and Linda Holyfield of Gadsden, TN; sister in law, Josephine Murphy of Jackson; as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Services will be held Thursday, March 4, 2010 at 2 PM at George A. Smith and Sons North Chapel with a Committal Service following at Ridgecrest Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be Wednesday, March 3, 2010 from 5 PM until 8 PM. Grandsons will serve as her Pallbearers.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to Imagination Library [P. O. Box 1904, Jackson, TN 38302-1904] to help insure that every child in Madison County is given the opportunity to develop a love for reading.