BEE BRANCH
— James Rickman Murray, 77, passed away peacefully but unexpectedly on Saturday, October 24, 2020. Jim was born on July 28, 1943, in Washington, D.C., to Ernest Burgin Murray and Adelaide Sweatt Murray. Jim was an Eagle Scout and a graduate of Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport, Fla., before joining the United States Air Force in 1961. In the Air Force, Jim rose to the rank of staff sergeant and earned a Bronze Star for meritorious service during an extended tour in Vietnam. After leaving the military, Jim became a law enforcement officer and graduated magna cum laude from St. Leo College. Following his graduation from the University of Florida College of Law in 1979, Jim embarked on a lengthy and diverse legal career that took him from Florida to Wyoming and back again. At every point in his legal career, Jim meticulously applied the principle that “if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”
Jim was a lifelong Episcopalian, and diligently sought to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. Jim loved God’s creation. He was an avid outdoorsman and hunter, a gunsmith and competitive shooter, a woodworker, and a traveler. He was welcoming; few met Jim who weren’t offered the chance to join him on his next adventure. But most of all, he loved spending time with his family and friends, whether around a campfire or a kitchen table.
Jim is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 47 years, Julia; children, Ronald James Murray, Kathryn Murray Irby (Scott), and Julianne Murray VanLaningham (Chris); grandchildren Ryan Murray, Mary-Kathryn Royce Irby, William James Irby, John Elton Boyd Irby, Benjamin Matthew VanLaningham, Andrew Scott VanLaningham, and Elizabeth Mairet VanLaningham; and siblings, Thomas Murray (Debbie) and Marion Curry (Mike).
An outdoor funeral service will be held Thursday morning, November 5, 2020, at 10 a.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Little Rock. The family will hold an outdoor visitation on Wednesday evening at the Allsopp Park pavilion on Cedar Hill Road at 5:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, the NRA Whittington Center, or the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation.