Happy birthday, Mr. Murray!

John Lambert Murray was born on February 10, 1877 to William A. Murray and Harriet R. Murray in the Balls Creek community. William worked at the Wike and McNeil mill and eventually bought Wike's half around 1883, making him the first of three generations of Murrays to run the mill.

Around 1898, John bought the mill from his father and ran the business until it closed in 1967. " We made wheat into flour and corn into meal, and we shipped in a lot of wheat besides what we ground for farmers around here," said John Murray when interviewed for his 100th birthday.

In 1901, John married Minnie Cleola Minges. The couple had ten children: six sons and four daughters. All of the boys worked in the mill at one time or another. One son, Loyd, even took over the business when John semi-retired.

His wife died in early 1967, and John lived by himself in his house above the mill until just after he turned 100, when he went to live at Hickory Heath Care Inc. John was not alone in his picturesque setting - at least four of his children lived around the mill, as well as nieces and nephews.

When he died on January 4 , 1982, John was the oldest resident in Catawba County. One son and two daughters preceded him in death, but his surviving family included two sisters, five sons, two daughters, 20 grandchildren, 28 great-grandchildren, three great-great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.