James E Morphis

James was born on December 26, 1931, in Camden, Mississippi, to Bill and Connie Morphis (née Murphy). He was reared and educated in Pickens, Mississippi where he participated in school football, basketball and baseball, but especially enjoyed basketball. He was also a member of the local Boy Scout Troop during his early school years in Pickens and a member of the Pickens Methodist Church.

He loved spending time with his grandparents with frequent visits to their home in Camden. At eight years of age, he tragically lost his father from a sudden heart attack. A strong, loving mother, along with caring aunts, uncles, and grandparents, helped him successfully navigate the upcoming years after the loss of his father. Following graduation from Pickens High School in 1950, he joined the Air Force and later began working for Presley Chevrolet Company after his return from Service.

He married his sweetheart, Florence Patton Montgomery, on July 30, 1954, at the Methodist Church in Biloxi, Mississippi by elopement during a summer vacation of the future bride and her sisters. After marriage, they both attended and graduated Holmes Junior College in Goodman, Mississippi. He then attended the University of Southern Mississippi prior to beginning his career with Southern Natural Gas Company in Pickens, Mississippi. After joining the Company, he was soon promoted from his position at the Pickens Compressor Station and transferred to Prentiss, Mississippi where he lived with his family until the summer of 1975.

While residing in Prentiss, he and Florence started their family with the birth of their first daughter in 1961 and were blessed with a second daughter in 1968. In 1975, James was transferred to Louisville, Mississippi for a year before being promoted to head SONAT’s Measurement Division for Mississippi, Louisiana, and portions of Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma from the Jackson, Mississippi office. He was later asked to also head the Corrosion Division of the pipeline for those same states from the Jackson office, as well. He spent the last year of his career as a full-time Consultant to the home office in Birmingham, Alabama where he resided during the work week, with weekend commutes to and from home, until his retirement in 1991. He truly enjoyed his work with Southern Natural as well as his many friendships with coworkers. His career successfully spanned 35 years.

He was an avid reader, loved to travel with his wife in their motorhome, and thoroughly enjoyed living on the reservoir. He would take his pontoon boat out by himself if no one else would go and just sit and read for hours while floating on the water. When grandchildren came along, he and Florence would take them on camping trips and spend countless hours entertaining them. He enjoyed staying busy working on things and was always willing to lend a hand to a neighbor or anyone in need of a handyman. He always said “jack of all trades, master of none”, but he was actually extremely handy and really loved helping people. He was an active member of Madison United Methodist Church and worked with church members on many Habitat for Humanity projects. He was always there to help his family, friends, and neighbors until he became physically unable to do so. He and Florence were married for over sixty-six years until her death in October 2020.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Florence Montgomery Morphis, his granddaughter, Caroline Patton Moore, his brother, Howard Morphis, and his parents, Bill J. Morphis and Connie Murphy Bolling. He is survived by his daughters, Lauralee Michele Morphis Cannady and Stephanie Morphis Moore, along with his sons-in-law William R. Cannady, III (Russ) and Charles R. Moore (Rick). He also is survived by five grandchildren Lauralee Moore Hann, Charles Jameson Moore, Montgomery Sellers Moore, William Rousseau Cannady, IV, James Bankston Cannady, and his grandson-in-law, Cody Benten Hann.

Visitation will be held at Parkway Funeral home in Ridgeland, Mississippi on Tuesday, January 4, 2021, from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. The funeral service will be officiated by Dr. Danny Dickerson and will begin at 2:00 p.m. just after visitation. The burial will follow at Jessamine Cemetery in Ridgeland, Mississippi.