Funeral service for J. Lamar Murphree, 75 will be Saturday, July 21, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. at Forest Lawn Gardens Chapel in Anniston. Entombment will follow at Forest Lawn Gardens Mausoleum. Mr. Murphree passed away on Sunday, July 15, 2018 at his home in Hoover, AL. He attended Eulaton Elementary School, Wellborn Junior High, and graduated from Wellborn High School in 1961 as class Salutatorian and lettered in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Gadsden State Junior College in 1973. He was an Honors graduate of Jacksonville State University with Special Honors in Accounting (1975).
He was preceded in death by his loving wife of over 42 years, Julia Hackney Murphree, his parents Albert and Elsie Murphree and brother Kenneth “Bud” Murphree of Albertville. He is survived by a son, Robin (Pam) Murphree of Birmingham and a daughter, Michelle (Doyle) Huffer of Winchester, TN and four grandchildren, Emily and Parker Huffer of Winchester, TN and Daniel and Matthew Murphree of Birmingham. He is also survived by a brother, A.C. (Onzell) Murphree of Anniston and sisters-in-law Reba (James) Morrow of Lincoln and Carolyn Patty Murphree of Anniston.
Mr. Murphree retired with over 32 years of service with Monsanto Company in Anniston and St. Louis, MO. His career went from lab technician, process analysis technician, paymaster, accountant, and accounting supervisor at the Anniston plant before transferring to world headquarters in St. Louis as a financial analyst and became a senior financial analyst before returning to the Anniston plant as accounting superintendent over accounting, purchasing, data processing, and storeroom operations. He then relocated to the Sauget, IL plant as a cost specialist and one year later back to world headquarters as a duty drawback manager in corporate customs operations. He became a nationally recognized expert in duty drawback and was a published author on the subject and was a speaker at numerous large conferences around the country. He represented Monsanto with the American Association of Exporters and Importers, a trade organization located in New York City with a membership of over 1,200 companies in the U.S. He progressed from being a member of the board of directors to a member of the executive committee of the board to Vice-Chairman of the total organization. He was awarded the prestigious Hammer Award for working with U.S. Customs attorneys in re-writing Customs Regulations relating to duty drawback. The award was presented in Washington, DC by Robert Rubin, Secretary of the Treasury, who filled in for Vice President Gore. His last position with Monsanto was as Manager, Customs Operations overseeing import clearances, export controls, NAFTA compliance, and duty drawback (recovering millions of dollars annually). He was also a chapter president of the National Association of Accountants.
Pallbearers will be Jerry McGaha, Chris Creamer, Mike Murphree, Steve Murphree, Clint Morrow, Richard East, Mickey Twigg and David Stubbs.
Thank you to all the caring staff from Expect Care Hospice of Birmingham. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Alzheimer's Association or St. Jude’s Children Hospital.
