Gloria Farley Murrah departed this life on Saturday, January 12, 2013. Services will be under the direction of Crofts - Crow Funeral Home in Blanco, Texas.
Visitation will be at Crofts - Crow Funeral Home in Blanco on Thursday, January 17 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A graveside service will be held this Friday, January 18 at 11:00 a.m. at The Blanco Cemetery.
Gloria Farley was born July 13, 1926, in Ballinger, Texas, to Jesse Edward “Ed” Farley and Frankie Parrish Farley. While her father ran the local meat market/grocery, Gloria grew up in a home on the banks of the Colorado River in Runnels County, Texas. She and her family were members of Avenue B Church of Christ in Ballinger. She enjoyed spending time with friends and cousins who lived nearby, often climbing trees and dreaming about the future. She especially loved to attend rodeos with her family.
During World War II, Gloria served her country through Civil Service work at the Pentagon. After her work at the Pentagon she was employed at the Farm Service Agency in Brewster County where she met and eventually married the love of her life, R.H. “Bud” Murrah, Jr., on November 25, 1950 in Alpine, Texas. The two settled and began raising their three children. Gloria was an excellent homemaker. She worked hard to provide a nice home and good meals for her three children.
Later, after spending years bringing up her young children, Gloria began her work with the United States Post Office in the 1960s. She enjoyed getting up by 5:00 a.m. and working each day. The post office was, for her and many others, a hub of activity and information for the town and community.
In the 1960s, Gloria and Bud ran the movie theatre in Blanco as a family business, employing her daughter at the snack bar and her sons at the projectors. Gloria enjoyed the way this business brought her family together on the weekends.
Gloria was an avid reader and loved Texas and Old West history. She loved reading about the old days and had a particular interest in genealogy. Before the days of the computer and the internet, she researched her family genealogy on the Farley side of the family all the way back to the 1400s in England. Well into her later years, she served as the family historian and loved telling stories of her own kin in the days gone by.
Preceded in death by her husband Bud, Gloria is survived by son Dan and his wife Marcella of Blanco, Texas, son Tom and his wife Susy of Blanco, Texas, daughter Nancy Arnold and her husband Richard of Blanco, Texas. She is also survived by grandchildren and great-grandchildren, including Matt Murrah and his wife Karen and children Molly, Daniel, and Mae of Dallas, Texas, Wesley Murrah and his wife Katy and children Caleb and Clayton of Blanco, Texas; siblings, Bud Farley of Stonewall, Louisiana, Joyce Wallace of Driftwood, Texas, and Bob Farley of Santa Anna, Texas.
Gloria was preceded in death by her parents, Jesse Edward “Ed” Farley and Frankie Tressie Farley Condra. Gloria was a member of the Blanco Order of the Eastern Star. She was also a member of the Blanco Church of Christ.
A loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Gloria experienced joy in the victories of those she loved. Gloria had the gift of hospitality. She loved making preparation for family gatherings and went the extra mile to ensure that everyone felt at ease and at home. Her actions were of encouragement and service to others. Her earthly life was spent building up others, not collecting earthly treasures for herself. Her treasures are in heaven. “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” - 1 Corinthians 2:9
More from Obituaries.