Mrs. Majorie Pearl Murray's Obituary
Marjorie Pearl Murray, 95, was taken home to be with the Lord on Sunday January 18, 2015, after complications from respiratory issues. Marjorie was born May 3, 1919, in Provencal, Louisiana to Thomas Eldred and Evelyne Smith. After moving around a bit, she moved to California for a couple of years and then came back to East Texas in the mid-1960’s. She and Otto Breland, opened Breland’s Upholstery Shop.
Marjorie was a master seamstress and upholsterer. She could look at a piece of furniture and cut out a pattern for it. She was equally skilled as a seamstress. She once had an unusual request for an upholstery job; the client said no one else was able to do. She successfully drew out a pattern for a Camel’s Saddle and reupholstered it. She was a strong supporter of equal pay for equal work. She had worked in a manufacturing environment and realized the difference in pay between women and men. She decided the only way she could correct this in those days was to be her own boss. That is why she opened the upholstery shop.
In her younger days, Marjorie liked to travel and loved the outdoors. She would often be on the lake or the river. She was also a master at playing Canasta, which she shared with her grandchildren.
Marjorie was preceded in death by her father, Thomas Eldred Smith; mother, Evelyne Hall Smith; three husbands, Virgil Leon Hayes, Otto Breland and Thaxton Murray; three brothers, Burton, Edgar and Leo Smith; and her son, Harlan Leon Hayes.
She is survived by her two sisters, Ravenna G. Smith of Port Allen, La. and Mary E. Breedlove of Shreveport, La.; daughter-in-law, Hershelene Hayes of Longview; a grand- step-son, Stephan Glass of Lufkin; a grand- step-son, Keith Glass of Longview; a grand- step-son, Todd Glass of Longview; a grand-daughter, Linda Williams of Longview; a grand- daughter and son-in-law, Donna and Johnny Fitzgerald of Longview; a grand-son, David Hayes of Longview; a grand-son and daughter-in-law, Robert and Sheila Hayes of Longview; 13 great-grandchildren; 12 great- great-grandchildren; and a number of nephews and nieces.
There will be a graveside service at Lakeview Memorial Gardens at 5000 West Harrison Road, Longview, TX 75604 at 2 pm Friday January 23, 2015. The family will recieve friends at the funeral home from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday prior to graveside.
The church asks that any flowers sent be delivered by 5pm Thursday January 22, 2015.
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