Martya Murakami

Family First Funeral & Cremation Care

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Posted by: Family First
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Date: Jan 07 2019 4:48 PM

Martya Murakami

Martya Murakami, age 70 of Dothan died early Monday morning, January 7, 2019 at a local hospital following an extended illness.

Celebration of Life services will be held at 6PM Thursday, January 10, 2019 in the Chapel of the Angels at Family First Funeral & Cremation Care with Elder Clayton Nowell officiating and Family First Funeral & Cremation Care directing. The family will receive friends for one hour prior to service time at the funeral home. Flowers will be accepted or memorial contributions may be made to the charity of choice.

Born February 9, 1948 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to the late Jim and Carrie Lee Cordell Bannister, Martya lived a full and wonderful life of service before self to others. Never meeting a stranger, Martya loved helping people; she could go to town for milk and stay for hours just talking to people. Through the years, she lived in Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Venezuela and for the past 35 years had lived in Dothan.

Never running from a challenge, Martya was an entrepreneur, starting her own Secretarial Service business at the age of 23. Through the years she was an owner/partner in several businesses’ including Snelling & Snelling, the Skis ‘N’ Such, Inc. and Answer Service of Dothan, the first answering service company in Dothan. She later worked for ID Associates and Wallace College.

Martya was an advocate for charity and believed in giving. Being an advocate against domestic violence was something near and dear to her heart and over the years, countless women spent the night in her home, escaping domestic violence. She supported the House of Ruth and in Venezuela founded the raffle program for Children’s Service League which has become the largest annual charity raffle ticket event in the country. She also believed in the value of education and throughout her life was an avid reader. For many years she was also involved in the Dothan theater community of SEACT and had a passion for the arts.

Of the many things that Martya has done and accomplished in life, it pales in comparison to two things; her love of being a New Orleans Saints football fan (Martya will herself be attending the Superbowl this year as her son will be taking her cremated remains) and her love for family. As a mother, she was wonderful. Her children say that one word that describes her best is “giver” as she gave her love, support, admiration and friendship. Without question, Martya will be missed by all that knew her and the world was a better place because of her.

In addition to her parents, Martya is preceded in death by a son, Jeremy Ryan Flowers. Survivors include two daughters and a son-in-law, Donna and Dan Herbst of Tallahassee, FL and Carrie Lai Ann Murakami of Rome, GA; two sons and daughters-in-law, Kojun and Lucy Murakami of Honolulu, HI and Chris and Leslie Lodahl of Dothan; a sister, Dixie Roberts and a brother, Mike Bannister, both of Louisiana . Three grandchildren also survive.

Care for the Murakami family is being provided by Jason Shepard, Randy Crenshaw and Staff at Family First Funeral & Cremation Care.

Family First Funeral & Cremation Care, 965 Woodland Drive, Dothan

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