James “Jim” Robert McMurtry passed away Thursday, November 8, 2018 at TriStar Skyline Medical Center. A celebration of a life well lived will be held at 9:00 am, Thursday, November 15 at Hermitage Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 535 Shute Lane, Old Hickory, Tennessee 37138. Burial at Nashville National Cemetery in Madison, Tennessee.
Jim was born December 23, 1927 in Nashville, Tennessee to Zoe McMurtry, to whom he was a devoted son. Jim and his older brother Jack, moved with his mother to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he spent his childhood before returning to Nashville as a teenager. He worked tirelessly to help support his mother, was a charter member of the White House High School inaugural football team and was poised to be valedictorian of his high school class before leaving just weeks before graduation. Jim volunteered and joined the United States Army in 1946 where he earned his jump wings before his discharge and return to Nashville. In 1953 he married the love of his life, Norma Dean McMurtry and their love story continued for 65 years. Jim joined the United States Air Force, leading a top-secret, highly regarded unit which took him all over the world before he retired in 1971 with 23 years of service. Upon retiring from the USAF, he moved his family to Columbia, Tennessee, where they remained until 1982, when he and Dean moved to Corpus Christi, Texas. Jim continued to serve his country for over ten years, working to help disaster efforts across the United States, Guam and the US Virgin Islands.
After finally retiring for good, Jim devoted his life to his wife, three children and eight grandchildren. He loved working on everything from his vintage 1965 Mustang to completely remodeling his Old Hickory home, just blocks from where he met his wife so long ago. Jim was beloved by all who knew him.
Jim is survived by his wife, Norma Dean McMurtry, daughter, Krista Clark, his son, Dana Patrick McMurtry, and daughter-in-law Sarannah McMurtry, all of Old Hickory, TN, brother Jack Williams of Eagleville, TN, as well as eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by his mother, Zoe McKinney, his eldest son, Scott Robert McMurtry in 2016 and infant daughter, Keri McMurtry in 1958.
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