Virginia Ann "Deady" McMurtray

Funeral services for Virginia Ann “Deady” McMurtray, 81, of Nacogdoches, will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, October 30, 2021, at Laird Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Alazan Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Friday, October 29, 2021, at the funeral home.

Virginia Ann McMurtray, of Nacogdoches, passed away from this life on October 26, 2021, in Pasadena, Texas. She was born December 2, 1939, in Grapeland, Texas, to parents John Octa Skidmore and Mada Lou Smith Skidmore.

While still attending high school in Pasadena, she met and fell in love with a young Marine that was home on leave. Eventually, with her parent’s consent, on October 24, 1956, Virginia and James McMurtray became husband and wife.

As they began their life together as a military couple, Virginia and Jim started their family, having a daughter first in 1958, and later in 1959, a son. Together they raised a family while military life caused them to regularly resettle to locations across the country and overseas. As the years passed, Virginia faithfully focused her efforts on creating and maintaining a tight knit and loving home environment for her children, all the while remaining faithful in her service to God.

As life as a military family came to an end, Virginia’s family eventually returned to Texas and finally settled in Nacogdoches.

Virginia loved to travel, especially across the western U.S. she even obtained a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) and joined Jim as a Delivery Driver for Foretravel. Together, they made numerous trips across the country delivering motorhomes to dealerships or happy customers, with Jimmy in the lead and Deady (Dee-Dee), as she is known by many friends and family, following close behind, driving a Coach as well.

Though naturally very shy, Virginia greatly treasured time spend visiting with relatives and special friends from church.

Virginia is preceded in death by her husband, James Lee McMurtray; parents, John Octa and Mada Lou Skidmore; and sister, Sharon Rose Shirley.

She is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Darlene Watson and husband, Allen of Nacogdoches; son, John McMurtray and wife, Vickie of Nacogdoches; sister, Sandra Jerris Holloway of Pasadena; grandsons, Patrick McMurtray and wife, Alisa of Nacogdoches, and Kevin Watson of Nacogdoches; and granddaughter, Jessica Watson Montes of Nacogdoches; as well as five great-grandchildren.

Serving as pallbearers will be Patrick McMurtray, Kevin Watson, Allen Watson, Bill Fullen, Jr., Case Opperman, and Eric Opperman.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alazan Cemetery Association at 1320 East McLemore Court, Nacogdoches, TX 75964. They also can be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

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