Mr. Jonathan Lambleton Murray

"Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak and let come on me what will...through he slay me, yet I will trust him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.

Job 13: 13&15

 

  A Legacy Of Love

Deacon Jonathan L. Murray

DEACON JONATHAN LAMBLETON MURRAY THE SON OF THE LATE DEACON ARTHUR AND ANNIE

BELL WALTERS MURRAY WAS BORN AUGUST 30, 1950 ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC. (HE HAS A

TWIN BROTHER DEACON DAVID L. MURRAY). HE ATTENDED HILTON HEAD ELEMENTARY

SCHOOL AND GRADUATED 3RD HONOR FROM MICHAEL C. RILEY HIGH SCHOOL IN 1968. IN 1970

HE RECEIVED AN ASSOCIATE DEGREE IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT FROM LINCOLN BUSINESS

COLLEGE IN JACKSONVILLE, FL.

AS A TEENAGER HE ACCEPTED CHRIST AS HIS PERSONAL SAVIOUR AND BECAME A MEMBER OF

CENTRAL OAK GROVE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND WHERE HE

SERVED FAITHFULLY UNTIL HIS DEATH. IN 1970 HE WAS APPOINTED TREASURER BY DEACON

SAMUEL BOLDEN, CHAIRMAN. FOR 28 YEARS HE SERVED DILIGENTLY IN THIS CAPACITY. AT

AGE 27 HE ALONG WITH TWIN BROTHER DAVID WAS ORDAINED A DEACON AT CENTRAL OAK

GROVE UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF THE LATE REV. HENRY L. JONES. ON FEBRUARY 27, 2000 HE

ALONG WITH OTHER DEACONS WAS PRESENTED WITH A CERTIFICATE OF APPRECIATION FOR

SERVICE, DEVOTION, AND POWERFUL COMMITMENT TO THE CHURCH.

IN AUGUST OF 1981 HE WAS JOINED IN HOLY MATRIMONY TO THE FORMER GWENDOLYN

MILLER OF SAVANNAH, GA. HE IS THE FATHER OF TWO CHILDREN, WILLIAM ANDERSON AND

JENEE' MURRAY. HE WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY ONE SISTER, LUCILLE MURRAY CRAWFORD,

THREE BROTHERS, ARTHUR JONES, FRANK AND MELVIN MURRAY, ONE SISTER-IN-LAW

HARRIETT THOMPSON, TWO BROTHERS-IN LAW, DEACON OSSIE CRAWFORD, AND CLAUDE LEE.

IN JANUARY OF 1970 HE BEGIN HIS CAREER AS A POSTAL CLERK/CARRIER AT THE HILTON HEAD

ISLAND POST OFFICE UNDER POSTMASTER MARY B. SCHEIDER. THERE HE BECAME

KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT ALL FACETS OF POSTAL OPERATIONS OVER THE YEARS AND HE WAS

GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE IN CHARGE OF THE MAIN POST OFFICE FOR ONE DAY. BECAUSE

OF HIS OUTSTANDING WORK ETHIC AND ABILITY TO MANAGE ALL ASPECTS OF POSTAL

OPERATIONS HE WAS APPOINTED POSTMASTER OF JACKSONVILLE, GA IN 1980. FROM THERE

HE WAS APPOINTED POSTMASTER OF HAMPTON AND LATER BARNWELL, SC INCREASING HIS

POSTAL MANAGEMENT SKILLSET. HE BECAME THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN POSTMASTER

FOR BOTH HAMPTON AND BARNWELL COUNTIES SINCE RECONSTRUCTION. ALONG THE WAY

 

HE ATTENDED NUMEROUS WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING AT THE POSTAL MANAGEMENT

ACADEMY IN MARYLAND. LATER HE WAS ELEVATED TO POSTMASTER OF BLUFFTON, SC

ACCEPTING INCREASING MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES. JONATHAN ALSO SERVED AS

OFFICER IN CHARGE OF THE HILTON HEAD POST OFFICE, WHERE ONE DAY HE MET HIS COUSIN

JACOB DRIESSEN, SR. IN THE POST OFFICE LOBBY. MR. DREISSEN REMARKED AFTER HE WAS

TOLD BY JONATHAN THAT HE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE HILTON HEAD POST OFFICE OPERATIONS

THAT HE HAD NEVER MET AN AFRICAN AMERICAN POSTMASTER BEFORE. AFTER 37 YEARS OF

FAITHFUL, DEDICATED, COMMITTED AND DEVOTED SERVICE HE RETIRED IN AUGUST OF 2005.

AS A POSTMASTER HE JOINED THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF POSTMASTERS OF THE UNITED

STATES. ON THE SOUTH CAROLINA LEVEL, HE SERVED AS A CONVENTION CHAIR, LEGISLATIVE

CHAIR, MEMBERSHIP CHAIR, VICE PRESIDENT, AND FINALLY PRESIDENT OF THE SC CHAPTER.

EACH FEBRUARY HE ALONG WITH OTHER FELLOW POSTMASTERS WOULD TRAVEL TO

WASHINGTON DC TO MEET WITH OUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION, WHICH AT THAT TIME

INCLUDED SENATER STROM THURMOND, LOBBYING ON BEHALF OF THE POST OFFICE. HE WAS

VOTED POSTMASTER OF THE YEAR AND RECEIVED THE COVETED AND PRESTIGIOUS OLIN D.

JOHNSTON AWARD FROM THE SC CHAPTER FOR HIS UNTIRING DEDICATION. ON THE NATIONAL

LEVEL HE WAS APPOINTED AREA VICE PRESIDENT OF SC AND NC BECOMING THE FIRST

AFRICAN AMERICAN IN SC CHAPTER TO DO SO. DURING HIS POSTAL CAREER HE TRAVELED

EACH YEAR TO BOTH STATE AND NATIONAL CONVENTIONS WHICH WAS HELD IN DIFFERENT

CITIES AROUND THE US INCLUDING HAWAII, ALASKA AND PUERTO RICO. ALONG THE WAY HE

MET AND NETWORK WITH POSTMASTERS FROM EVERY STATE, CREATING A FRIENDLY

FELLOWSHIP THAT HE LOOKED FORWARD TO AT EACH CONVENTION. IN 1992 WHEN HIS TWIN

BROTHER DAVID BECAME POSTMASTER OF PORT ROYAL, THEY HELD THE DISTINCTION OF

BEING THE ONLY TWIN POSTMASTERS IN ALL OF THE UNITED STATES FOR 5 YEARS. WE WERE

FEATURED IN OUR NATIONAL MAGAZINE WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND A 4 PAGE ARTICLE

ON OUR LIFE TOGETHER PRINTED.

HE WAS A MEMBER OF PRINCE HALL PYTHAGORUS LODGE # 11 AND SERVED AS WORSHIPFUL

MASTER, ALSO EZRA CONSISTORY, AND OMAR TEMPLE ALL OF SAVANNAH AND THE BURNING

SAND SHRINE CLUB OF BEAUFORT. HE RECEIVED NUMEROUS AWARDS BOTH PROFESSIONALLY

AND FRATERNALLY.

JONATHAN WAS A NUMBER ONE GARDNER, NUMBER ONE COOK WITH HIS FAMOUS PAN OF

MACARONI AND BARBECUE AMONG OTHER DELICIOUS FOOD ITEMS. HE WAS AVID FISHERMAN

AND WAS A MEMBER OF THE GA AND SC HUNTING CLUB WHERE HE WAS AN EXPERT

MARKSMAN. HE EXCELLED AS A CARPENTER, MECHANIC, CAR AND BOAT. THESE WERE ALL

TEACHINGS THAT CAME FROM HIS YOUTH AND ANCESTRAL UPBRINGING WHICH HE WAS

EXTREMELY PROUD OF. HE WAS VERY CHARITABLE WITH GIVING OF VEGETABLES TO

NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS FREE OF CHARGE THAT HE ALONG WITH HIS FAMILY GREW WITH

PRIDE. HE WAS A COLLECTOR OF WESTERN ATTIRE. HIS FAVORITE PASTIME WAS SPENDING

QUALITY TIME WITH HIS GRANDSON XAIDEN WHOM HE ADORED VERY MUCH ALONG WITH HIS

OTHER GRANDSON AND GRANDDAUGHTER.

 

HE LEAVES TO MOURN HIS PASSING, HIS BELOVED WIFE OF 40 YEARS, GWENDOLYN MILLER

MURRAY, ONE SON WILLIAM ANDERSON, ONE DAUGHTER JANEE MURRAY. THREE BROTHERS,

ARTHUR (ANNIE MAE) MURRAY, JR. JOHN HENRY MURRAY AND TWIN BROTHER DEACON

DAVID MURRAY, TWO SISTERS EVELYN LEE AND SUSIE M. MURRAY, THREE GRANDCHILDREN,

NAILA ANDERSON, KHARI ANDERSON AND XAIDEN FAMBLE, BROTHER IN LAW DEACON

GEORGE THOMPSON, SISTERS IN LAW, RHINA MILLER, WILLIE MAE JONES AND HENRIETTA

SIMMONS. A GODSON KEVIN LEE, A HOST OF LOVING AND CARING NIECES, NEPHEWS,

COUSINS AND FRIENDS, TO INCLUDE LUTHER BAKER, MR & MRS LEROY WRIGHT AND MR &

MRS LEROY HENRY.

IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, THE FAMILY REQUEST THAT A CONTRIBUTION BE MADE IN MEMORY OF

DEACON JONATHAN MURRAY AT CENTRAL OAK GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH BUILDING FUND PO

BOX 21702, HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC 29925.

Funeral services will be held 11:00 am Saturday July 2nd, 2022 at Calvary Baptist Temple

4629 Waters Ave. Savannah, GA 31404

Public viewing will be held 3-6:00 pm Friday July 1st, 2022, at the Chapel of Bynes-Royall Funeral Home 204 W. Hall St. Savannah, GA 31401

Professional services entrusted to Bynes-Royall Funeral Home.

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