Emma Stevens Murrah

Emma Stevens Murrah, 98, of Valdosta, died on Thursday, October 3, 2019 at The Orchard at Stone Creek. Mrs. Murrah was born on December 5, 1920 in Richland, Georgia to the late Grover G. and Esther Tatum Maughon. She received her bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of Georgia and obtained her Masters of Education from Valdosta State University. Mrs. Murrah had a long and distinguished career as an educator in both the Lowndes and Valdosta school systems, VSU, and private kindergarten at the Stevens School for five year olds. She was awarded the Teacher of the Year award for the state of Georgia in 1980 and was invited to Washington D.C. as one of three finalists for the National Teacher of the Year in the United States of that same year. She was recognized as a distinguished alumnus of ABAC in 1980 and a distinguished alumnus of VSU in 1985 and was a former president of the VSU Alumni Society. Mrs. Murrah’s involvement in other societies included but was not limited to the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Phi Upsilon Omicron, Omicron Delta Kappa, Delta Kappa Gamma Society, and Retired Educators. She was a recipient of numerous awards honoring her achievements in the field of education, among these being the prestigious Georgia Association of Young Children for outstanding contribution in the field of Early Childhood, the Fullbright-Hays Grant for continued studies in India, and was inducted into the Educator Hall of Fame at Valdosta State University in its inaugural year of 2016. Mrs. Murrah also received the Silver Fawn Scout Award through the B.S.A. She served on the committee which developed and placed standards in Day Care and Kindergarten in public schools and helped develop the curriculum for Head Start as well as training programs for the Head Start teachers and day care workers. She was recognized for her work in a resolution by former President Jimmy Carter and the Georgia State Senate and House of Representatives for pioneering pre-school education as well as contributions to Georgia Public Education and to the Citizens of Georgia. Mrs. Murrah was a member and former elder of First Christian Church.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Jodie and Vickie Stevens of Hahira; step-daughter, Lynn Schmitt of Phoenix, Arizona; granddaughters, Rebecca Hundere and her husband Ian, and Emma Stevens and her fiancé, Robert Herrig all of Atlanta; grandson, Gil Schmitt of Albany; great-grandchildren, Ollie Hundere and Eloise Hundere; her sister and brother-in-law, Jane and Charles McMullen of Athens; sister-in-law, Frances Maughon; a special friend and care-giver, Donna Hall of Valdosta; numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Joe Stevens and George Murrah; a son, Mark Stevens; grandson, Joseph Stevens; step-daughter, Nancy Hume; three brothers, Jim Maughon, Bob Maughon, and Grover Maughon.
Services for Emma Stevens Murrah will be held at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 7, 2019 at First Christian Church with Mr. John Chick officiating. The burial will follow in the Sunset Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Sunday from 4-6 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to First Christian Church or the South Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Condolences to the family may be conveyed online at www.mclanecares.com. Carson McLane