Mary Lou Murff

Mary Lou Murff, 85, went home to be with her brother, sisters and family early Friday morning, September 25, 2020 at Good Life Senior Living. She was born to Carl Barker and Nova Ann (Hinkle) Barker in Clarendon on November 17, 1934.

Visitation will be Thursday evening at Bell-Cypert-Seale Funeral Home, October 1 from 6-7 p.m. and services will be Friday afternoon, October 2 at 2 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Snyder, Texas with the Reverend Marty Akins officiating. Burial will follow the service at Hillside Memorial Gardens, 2834 TX-208, Snyder, Texas 79549.

Mary was the youngest of 8 siblings, 5 sisters and 2 brothers. She attended school in Clarendon. She married Royce Morris in 1952 and moved to California where Judy Morris Mackey was born in Vallejo, California. Royce was killed in a freak wave accident on the coast of California in Bodega Bay in 1955. Shortly after that Mary moved back to Texas, enrolled and graduated from West Texas State University in Canyon with a degree in education. While there, she met and married Rex Hopkins. In 1959 John Rex Hopkins was born in Canyon. Mary and Rex moved to Big Spring where she became a second grade teacher and taught for 35 years total, in Big Spring, Odessa, and Snyder and retired from North Elementary in Snyder. After her and Rex parted ways, she later married Mike Murff, a former classmate from Clarendon and lived on a farm with him in Brice until he passed away in 2009. Mary then moved back to Snyder in 2010 and lived in her home until she acquired the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s in the summer of 2018. She was then assisted by Comfort Keepers of Snyder until she moved to Good Life Senior Living in October 2018. Special thanks goes to Comfort Keepers and Good Life Senior Living for taking great care of ‘our’ Mary until her passing.

She loved playing in the local bridge club and playing hand-and-foot with her family. She was a member of Cosmorama Study Club and the Altrurian Club. She enjoyed square dancing and loved playing the piano at church, at home, and anywhere else she was asked. She could play by ear as well as reading music. She had a great sense of humor and made her friends, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren crack a smile more than once. She was known as Mimi or Meemers or Mary Lou to all of her family and loved ones. She attended First Baptist Church Snyder and Sunday School classes there.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husbands, her brothers Earl Barker and wife Yvonne, Don Barker and surviving wife Gaynell, five sisters, Viola and Doyce Graham, Vera and Dick Noble, Mamie and James Clark, Mildred and Dub Tomlinson, and Nova and Bill Mooring, her great granddaughter Makynli Hopkins, and her son John Hopkins.
Survivors include daughter Judy Mackey and her husband Steve of Snyder, grandchildren Chris and wife Joylynn Mackey of Odessa, Cameron Mackey of Midland, Zach Hopkins of Lubbock, great grandchildren Bethany and Abigail Mackey of Greenwood, Texas, and Alexia Hernandez of Hermleigh and numerous nieces and nephews and special friend Nina Nesbitt of Snyder.

Memorials can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association; PO Box 96011, Washington, D.C. 20090-6011 or Alz.Org online in lieu of flowers.

Online Condolences may be posted at www.bellcypertseale.com