Lawrence L. "Mickey" Murray

Lawrence L. “Mickey” Murray was born July 26, 1931 in Drs Inlet in the wake of the Great Depression. Turpentine camps and moonshine were fixtures in the county. Cattle ran free-range around Drs. Lake, and there was a brickyard operating on Brickyard Road. Drs. Inlet Elementary was a two-room wooden schoolhouse on County Road 220. Shoes were optional.

Mickey arrived in the world in the upstairs bedroom of a wood frame house miles from any hospital. He grew up on his family's small farm. He and his brother Buck spent hot summer days at the back end of a plow-horse, cutting the loamy Florida soil. His sister, Sue, helped in the house.

When he wasn't at the backend of a plow-horse, Mickey worked at the family's general store on the corner of County Road 220 and a dirt road we now call College Drive.

Mickey attended what was then the most highly regarded educational institution in Clay County ... Clay High. He graduated as one of 13 proud students in the class of 1948.

One thing Mickey learned well didn’t come from a schoolbook. He figured out early on he didn't want to spend one more minute at the butt-end of a plow-horse. Mickey enrolled at JU, and then went on to finish at the University of Florida.

Long before heading to Gainesville, Mickey had his eye on a young girl he planned to marry. She just didn't know it yet.

Edith Knight was no farm girl. She lived "uptown" in Ridgewood. She may have been the prettiest girl in the county. If she wasn't, she was darn close.

Mickey was home most weekends to court Edith. In 1952, he graduated a full-fledged Gator and returned to Drs Inlet for good (he thought).

War in Korea had come. In the fall of 1952, Mickey strolled to the Drs. Inlet Post Office to mail a letter. Postmaster, Madison Houston, had news for Mickey.  She'd received the latest round of draft numbers from the Department of Defense. Mickey’s number was coming up.

Mickey was not one to fight the inevitable. He didn't wait to be drafted. He joined the Army.

The Army stationed Mickey in Washington, DC.  There he met a life-long friend, Bernie Evans. Bernie and Mickey were birds of a feather. I think the Army was smart when they decided to send Mickey and Bernie to Ft. Meyer in Washington DC instead of overseas. My guess is it took about one week of basic training for a seasoned Drill Sergeant to know these two boys wouldn't last one day in Korea.

After the Army, Mickey came home to stay. He married his sweetheart Edith on July 19. 1958. Mickey and Edith rented a garage apartment on North Street in Green Cove Springs. Mickey taught school and worked nights at the Dog Track selling tickets. He got a break and landed a job with Louise Smith, the County Property Appraiser.

In 1973, Louise Smith decided to retire. She told Mickey he'd make a good Property Appraiser. So, he ran for the office.

Louise was right. Mickey did make a good Property Appraiser. He was elected three

times. If you ever met Mickey, you would have likely voted for him. He was friendly and loved to talk politics.

Mickey remained the Clay County Property Appraiser until he retired in 1988. After a year of being out of the Clay County Courthouse, Mickey was missing the old gang. He went to Tax Collector, Ruth Weeks and asked for a job. He stayed for ten years working with Richard Hobbs, who became a good friend.

When Mickey retired for good, he spent time close to home in Drs. Inlet enjoying the world with his daughter Nancy, our two daughters,  Ashley and Abbey, his son Michael, his wife Tiffany, and their two daughters, Megan and McKenzie. He was a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Orange Park, where he served as a deacon.

Mickey had a bunch of sayings he repeated often and enthusiastically to his grandkids: "When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there" ( Mickey loved the old time hymns) "Old Soldiers Never Die, They Just Fade Away",  “Frog-Strangler” (a heavy rain),  and of course, "GO GATORS!".

Mickey lived his last 25 years just down the road from the site of the wooden farmhouse where he was born in the summer of 1931. He often joked he ended up only 5 miles from the spot he was born, so he “didn't get very far in life".

Nothing could be more wrong. Mickey Murray may not have traveled far, but his journey was rich and rewarding. He touched many lives in his work, his friends and family. Mickey was a husband, a father, a grandfather, a friend, and a true Believer.

We are lucky to have had him. We love him and miss him already.

Mickey leaves behind his wife of 62 years, Edith and his children Nancy Fagan her husband John and their two children Ashley and Abbey and Michael Murray, his son and his two children Megan and Mackenzie.

Services for Mickey will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, July 18, 2020 in the Broadus-Raines Chapel.  Seating will be spaced to adhere to social distancing guidelines. Masks are optional, but will be provided for those who desire one. Orange Park First Baptist Pastor David Tarkington will preside.