Home : The Voice : August 2002 

Transylvania Presbytery

The Mary Alice Murray Story

by Betty Morton

She was a tall woman, six feet or more. A tall woman who cast a long and comfortable shadow across the many lives she touched. Inside that tall frame was a strong, loving, wonderful woman. That tall frame was kept alive with a big heart that beat with compassion and love for her fellow human beings and all of God’s creation. That tall frame cradled a mind that was sharp and creative to the very end of her life. That frame was home to a soul that loved God with a passion which was expressed in how she lived and did her work. She came from the flat wheat lands of Kansas to the rugged mountains of Kentucky and here she stayed.

Who was Mary Alice Murray? What words could one use to capture who she was? The list would be long and impressive. Perhaps the best words to catch her essence are the ones used by her friends when remembering her. “She was one of God’s angels in disguise”. . . “Extraordinary Pastor”. . .“All of us who knew her benefited as a result”. . . .“With Mary Alice’s leadership and sense of compassion, the Drift, KY, Presbyterian Church will never forget her. She has impacted each of us in different ways. She still lives on today” . . .“She was the most wonderful friend I could have. She listened when I needed to talk, a patient listener”. . .“A part of my growth as a person can be credited to Mary Alice. Her patience and eyes sometimes her directness was good for what ailed me, I will always be indebted”. . .“Mary Alice was a creative productive and caring person”. . .“She was special and touched many”. . .“She had a gift of words and was a wonderful person”. . .“She was dedicated and strong in her faith”. . .“She had a very generous spirit”. . . “Her arms reached out to those she loved—she was a hugger” . . . “She enjoyed a good joke and rewarded the teller with a deep hardy laugh”. . .She was precious cargo”. . .“She saved my life.”

Her Work

Her work was not her job—it was her life. Leonard and Willa Hood remembered the Wolf Creek Vacation Bible School Program. It was held in a public park way up Wolf Creek with materials and props transported in by Mary Alice. At the same time she was doing “this hands-on at the grass roots Christian Education”, she was serving as Presbytery’s Director of Christian Education (DCE) and writing church school material for the national denomination.” She lived her faith.

Although she did significant work as DCE, she found her most meaningful niche as a minister. She went to seminary and was ordained fairly late in life. She loved being a minister and served as one of the ministers at the Wooton Presbyterian Church and supplied many churches in Eastern Kentucky. She pastored the Drift Presbyterian Church for over ten years. Every Sunday morning rain, shine, or snow found her rising early to make that winding sixty mile trip, often physically weak and as a concession to her protesting body preached sitting down. She was a fighter not a quitter. She had a love affair with the Drift Church.

One of the biggest thrills of her life as a minister was her first baptism. To calm her nervousness and excitement, she confessed that she sang hymns all the way to the church. She loved to baptize children.

While at Drift she encouraged and mentored two members of that congregation to become lay ministers. Her work was her life.

The Woodworker

She was a woman of many talents. She could write a poem, play the recorder, preach a sermon, teach a child and practice the craft of woodworking.

She used all of her talents as a gift to others and her woodworking was no exception. She crafted toys and other items and gave them generously to children and friends. She rescued an old discarded piano at the Drift church and crafted gifts for each member from the refinished wood, a lovely little clock encased in polished walnut is a reminder of her generosity and talent. Her shop was a place of refuge that gave her peace and serenity.

The following poem written by Sally Shannon Miller hangs on the wall of the social room of the Drift Presbyterian Church that bears Mary Alice’s name.

Her True Calling

She came out of the flat lands
Unto these hills.
Here she had her true calling.
She listened to God’s plan
….and she was pleased.

She shared the pains, the sorrows,
And the despair;
The hopes, the joys,
And the love
Of a people who needed her.
And God saw her work
….and God smiled.

She soothed away their hurts and pains
With laughter, prayer, and love.
Her actions and her words spoke of God.
And he saw her work
….and he was pleased.

A quiet peace settled within her
Much like the peace that’s found
Within the valleys of a mountain range
That claimed her for its own.
She became one with the people and the land.
…and God whispered,

“Well done,
I am pleased.”

Along with Timothy, “she fought the good fight, she finished the race, she kept the faith.” (II Timothy 4:7)

(Special thanks to Leonard and Willa Hood, Sally Miller, Betty Stickler and others for sharing memories and events in Mary Alice’s life.)

Mary Alice Murray was born on June 23, 1923, passed away on June 7, 2002. She was born at Emporia, Kansas, the daughter of the late Edwin Anderson and Clara George Anderson. In 1942 she graduated with a bachelor of science degree from the Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia, KS. From 1942-1944 she worked as a chemist in St. Louis, Missouri. In October 1943 Mary Alice married Julius O. Deming who passed away in July 1949. She worked as a chemist, in Oak Ridge, TN, from 1944-1951. In 1951-1953 she received a Master of Religious Education degree at the McCormick Seminary in Chicago, IL. She then worked as director of Christian Education at Northbrook Presbyterian Church in Northbrook, IL, First Presbyterian Church, in Kansas City, KS, First Presbyterian Church, Independence, KS, Clay County Larger Parish, Clay County, Kentucky. She was married in September 1962 to Jack Murray, who passed away in October 1965. She then worked as director of Christian Education, Wooton Presbyterian Church and Transylvania Presbytery at Wooton, KY. She was ordained as minister in March 1981. She worked as Associate Pastor at the Wooton Presbyterian Church from 1981-1984, when she retired.

Written by Betty Morton, an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Hazard, KY