Beloved wife, mother and grandmother, age 98, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family. Born in Kelso, Washington, raised in Portland, Oregon, then swept away to the South at age 22 by the handsome sailor whom she married. Embracing her new home, she could cook the best turnip greens and cornbread.
Witty and with a beautiful smile, her loving and fun nature made her a pleasure to be around. With a tender heart and experiences of tough times living through the Great Depression, she was compassionate and generous towards those in need. Her children recall riding with her when she delivered food and hand-me-downs to a family she helped. As a doer ready for action, she once saved the day when the toddler who was playing next door in his family’s station wagon released the parking brake. After rolling down the driveway, it hit the road, somehow turned perpendicular and started rolling down the street. Witnessing this while painting her home on a ladder, she hit the ground running, jumped-in and hit the brakes. She always saw what needed to be done and did it without fanfare. Not one for gossip or drama, she was a good friend to many and the best mother anyone could ever hope for. Her children who are writing this feel incredibly blessed by having had her as a mom these many years. She put her needs secondary to that of her husband and children. She and John had a true love that never wavered.
A natural leader, Thelma served as President of Cahaba Heights Elementary School PTA and Cahaba Heights United Methodist Women’s Ministry. A faithful member of Shades Mountain Community Church, she hosted Ladies’ Bible Study in her home for 22 years. She was the bookkeeper for her husband’s business, J&J Hardware in Hoover. With him, she bought rental homes using her children as free labor for painting and yard work. Her work ethic lives on in us today. One of her delights was bargain shopping with best friend Mavis Pettus at the Parisian Gotta-Go store. She would come home and model her expensive designer outfits and ask us to guess what she paid, usually pennies on the dollar. She carried herself with poise and elegance, and loved being beautifully dressed until the end. Practical and purposeful in every way, she was a jewel.
Thelma was preceded in death by her husband E. John Murer, and son, John R. Murer (Kay), survived by children: Kenneth A. Murer (Cynthia Hylton-Murer), Glenn E. Murer (J.T. Fields), and Sherrill (Sherry) L. Murer. Grandchildren: Greg Cottrell, Steve Cottrell, Kevin Murer, Adrienne Miller (Ethan), Lauren Murer, and several great-grandchildren.
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