Obituary of Jacquelyn "Jackie" Murphy

Mrs. Jacquelyn Ruth “Jackie” Murphy, a resident of Ozark, passed away Saturday, January 7, 2023. She was 66 years old. Private memorial services for Mrs. Murphy will be held at a later date in the Chapel of Holman Funeral in Ozark. Interment will be in Barefield/Dykes Cemetery in the Bertha Community, Holman Funeral Home of Ozark directing. She was preceded in death by her parents, Ruth and Jack Murphy of Ozark. Mrs. Murphy was born February 29, 1956 and grew up in Ozark, Alabama. She graduated from Enterprise High School and continued her education at Birmingham Southern with Majors in Chemistry and Math. She later attended the University of South Alabama and John Hopkins Universities. After her third year of medical school she switched her studies to epidemiology due to her desire to work in public health. She had additional training at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Program. She spent twenty years working for the National Institutes of Health. During that time she did research in developing countries in the field of STDs and Retroviruses. She spent time in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central America, South America, India, Caribbean, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Mrs. Murphy retired and returned to Ozark in 2007. She worked for First Ozark Reality in Ozark for many years. In 2021 she started to work as a grant writer for the City of Ozark. She applied for and obtained many grants during her short time before her illness. She truly loved working as a grant writer for the City of Ozark. Her friends would like to thank Oakview Manor Nursing Home and Community Hospice for taking such good care of Jackie. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Vivian B. Adams School, 2047 Stuart Tarter Road, Ozark, Alabama 36360; or to the ENCORE program.