Louise Murrah

Louise was born in Texarkana, Texas, on August 16, 1931, and spent her life in the Texarkana area. On January 25, 1947, she married Avery Murrah, Sr., and together they shared 52 years of marriage, raising their family and building a life filled with many treasured memories.


Louise was preceded in death by her father, Roy Freeman; her mother, Loma Patterson; her brother, Wesley Freeman; her sister, Wanda Williams; her beloved husband, Avery Murrah, Sr.; and her grandson, Russell Don Lemley.


She is survived by her four children: son Avery Marsdell Murrah, Jr. and his wife, Shelia, of San Antonio, Texas; daughter Donna Gail Reddick and her husband, Jack, of Hooks, Texas; daughter Vicki Jane Greger and her husband, Jim, of Hooks, Texas; and son Randall Alan Murrah and his wife, Robyn, of Fort Ripley, Minnesota. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and countless family members and friends whose lives she touched throughout the years.


Music was one of Louise's great passions from an early age. As a young girl, she participated in numerous piano recitals throughout Texarkana and even had the opportunity to play in the Grand Ballroom of the historic Grimm Hotel during its heyday.

After raising her family, Louise returned to college to pursue a degree that would allow her to teach music. She began teaching piano in the early 1980s and went on to teach private and group lessons, as well as Kinder Music, a program designed to introduce young children to a variety of musical instruments.


Louise's dedication to music and her students earned her many honors within the music community, including being named Four States Music Teacher of the Year. She taught generations of students throughout the Texarkana area until her retirement in the early 2010s. Louise truly loved her students, and the lasting relationships she formed with them were a testament to the kind of teacher and person she was. Many remained in touch with her long after their lessons—and even after her retirement.


Louise also had a wonderful love for flowers and plants. She was a member of a Garden Club whose members shared seeds and plant cuttings with fellow gardening enthusiasts throughout the country. She especially loved spending time surrounded by her plants in the greenhouse room attached to her home in Hooks, Texas.


Louise leaves behind a beautiful legacy—one found in her family, in the music she shared, in the students she taught, in the flowers she lovingly tended, and in the many lives she touched along the way.


She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by her family and her many, many friends.


Funeral Services

A funeral service celebrating Louise's life will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at East Funeral Home on Moores Lane in Texarkana.


The family will receive friends from 6:00–8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 28, 2026, at the same funeral home.

Louise will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband, Avery, at East Memorial Gardens in Texarkana, Arkansas.