Mary Frances "Fran" Murphree was taken by her heavenly father on August 30, 2014 at the age of 81. Born on June 27, 1933, in Lafayette County, Mississippi, to Hubert and Bernice Tramel, Fran was raised as and was proud to be a small town girl from Bruce, Mississippi. Fran met the love of her life, future husband John, on the square at Bruce when he and a buddy spotted Fran and her much taller friend walking around. John said to his buddy, "I'll take the short one." Not long after Fran graduated high school, John took Fran to be his bride on June 13, 1953. Their 61-year marriage and John's military service took them to numerous countries, including Germany and Holland, and several states, including stops in Lancaster, California, Biloxi, Mississippi, Cheyenne, Wyoming, Blytheville, Arkansas, and Mobile, Alabama - where daughters Sherry and Pam were born - before they retired from the Air Force in 1974. One night, while stationed in California, the couple found themselves with some friends at a home from which Fran could see the world-famous Hollywood sign, a moment the small-town girl from Bruce took in and never forgot. A devoted caregiver to her family, Fran also served as a Red Cross volunteer and was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. However, Fran was proudest of her service for over 20 years as a military spouse, an achievement the Air Force duly recognized. Their service in the Air Force twice took them to Columbus, Mississippi, and after a brief post-retirement stint in Pittsboro, Mississippi, where Fran continued to work as a beautician, she and John settled down for good in Columbus in 1976. Fran was fiscally shrewd, an ardent saver and a gifted bookkeeper, skills she used not only at home but in support of John in his various work endeavors. Fran was always a hard worker going back to her childhood days when she fondly remembered churning butter with her Grandma Clifton in order to get to drink the clabber. An avid gardener, Fran could be found in her garden, flower beds or the yard on just about any day the weather permitted. For many years, when she wasn't working with flowers and mulch, Fran could be found in the mornings walking at the mall and holding court with dear friends at Hardee's. Feisty was a common word used by friends, family and acquaintances to describe Fran. She had an opinion on everything and was not afraid to give it to you whether you wanted it or not. In her last days, one doctor recalled that, upon first meeting her and hearing that John took care of her, Fran wryly added, "But I'm in charge." In charge she was. Fran was preceded in death by her parents, Hubert and Bernice Tramel, and sisters Helen Pegues and Doris Harmon. She is survived by her husband John; her daughters Sherry (and husband Johnny) Allen of Atlanta and Pam Murphree of Columbus, Mississippi; her grandson Chris (and wife Emily) Holleman of Nashville; her great grandchildren Carlisle, Eva and Boyce Holleman of Nashville; her brother Ricky Tramel of Bruce, Mississippi; and her sisters Ann (and husband Bobby) Jenkins of Little Rock, Arkansas, Gene (and husband Billy) Taylor of Oxford, Mississippi, and Dee Murphree of Pontotoc, Mississippi. Visitation was held at Lowndes Funeral Home and a graveside service was held at the veterans' section of Memorial Gardens in Columbus on Monday, September 1, 2014. The casket was adorned with beautiful red and yellow roses, Fran's favorite. Although Fran will be dearly missed, her family takes solace in the fact that, just like John, God took "the short one" to be with him, where the streets paved with gold are now also lined with beautiful red and yellow flowers.