Murrell Finch

Murrell Jeter Finch

"Insurance Man" and Exemplary Citizen"

Tribute Prepared by Ron Arnold

As I began to think about Murrell Finch and his life I realized just how little I knew about him. My early memory of him was as the insurance agent in town. This was in the 1960's and I was still in High School.

It seemed at the time he had always been the "Insurance Man". When I turned sixteen he became my "Insurance Man" as well. I remember, after having an accident, having to go to his office which, at that time, was in the present Bank of Gleason building. From the stories I had heard that was not a trip I was looking forward to. I don't remember much of the conversation that day except it felt more like a lecture instead of an inquiry. However, Murrell took care of the incident from the insurance side and I went on to being an out of control sixteen year old. I would see him from time to time around the community and knew he must be actively involved. But to me, he was still my "Insurance Man who, before becoming the "Insurance Man", had worked for Mr. Bob Smith at Gleason's City Drug Store.

I had been away from Gleason for a few years and it was now in the 70's. Once again Murrell became my "Insurance Man". However, I began to realize there was more to Murrell than insurance. I learned he had a farm outside of town across from where his Mother lived and, if I am not mistaken, where Murrell and his brother John lived as children. At first, I thought it a little strange that he called his mother "BaBa" but I was soon referring to her as BaBa myself. I learned he was on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Gleason and an active member and former President of the Gleason Rotary Club. Only later did I learn of his more extensive involvement in the community, which included serving as Commander for the Gleason American Legion Post #166, serving on the Board of Directors of the Weakley County Chamber of Commerce, serving as a member of the Weakley County School Board and as a Charter Member and on the Board of Directors of the Weakley County Country Club.

Although Murrell didn't talk much about it, Pat Dewberry's (2013) most recent book highlights the fact that Murrell was also a World War II combat veteran "who served in the U.S. Army during numerous campaigns and battles in North Africa where the allies were battling the German Army under the command of the infamous "Desert Fox," General Erwin Rommel." Fortunately Murrell came home safely and was, for many years, a significant contributor to the Gleason community.

It was sometime in 1979 that I went to Murrell's Insurance office because I needed to cancel some insurance. I had sold a small business I had been operating and no longer needed insurance. Murrell asked me what I was going to do and, at the time, I didn't have any idea. He said he was thinking about retirement and wanted to know if I would be interested in going to work in the agency. As a result of that conversation, I became a partner in the Finch-Owen Agency in 1980.

To this day, I am not sure why Murrell decided to offer me the chance to become a partner in the Agency that he and Bob Owen had started some thirty-years before. I would like to think they thought I was the right person to become the "Insurance Man" and continue the hometown service the agency was known for.

But the truth was revealed by Murrell's wife, Frances Ruth (Trevathan) Finch, who also worked in the office, when she told me later that she had told Murrell he could work as long as he wanted but she was going to the house.

I would learn more about Murrell after his death on December 29th 1983, only three days after his beloved BaBa died. We who considered ourselves friends of Murrell, all had "tales" about Murrell and how curious he was and how tight he was with money. However, when we began to look back at Murrell's life, we all realized how much he loved his country, his community, his family and his friends and the full range of the contributions he made to the City of Gleason.

Reference

Dewberry, W. P. (2013). And, Uh, As I was Saying: More Memories of Yesteryear in Gleason "Tater Town" Tennessee. Somerville, TN: Charles Harris Printing Co.

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