Lawrence Albert Murphy

A Celebration of Life for Lawrence Albert Murphy, 71, West Plains, Missouri, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, July 29, 2023, at Center of God Church.  

Mr. Murphy passed away Monday, July 17, 2023.  

He was born November 5, 1951, at Mountain View, Missouri, to Seldon and Bea Murphy.  On September 1, 1973, he was married at West Plains, Missouri, to Bonnie Ruth Bennett, and to this union two daughters were born.  Larry served as pastor of the Congregational Methodist Church for nine years and traveled extensively as an evangelist, holding revivals in many churches and street church in any town he felt God was leading him to.  He did mission work in Guatemala, Honduras, and Russia, and traveled to New York City to help plant the Times Square Church under the late David Wilkerson.  Later in life, he gave up formal ministry from a pulpit, but continued ministering to anyone God would send to him.  People would call or come to visit, and he would share Jesus with them from his living room chair.  He kept his love for Jesus and the Gospel ‘til the end.  Larry held several jobs in the West Plains area, and then in 1989, he left his job to pursue a lifelong dream of being a barber.  He barbered in the West Plains area for twenty-four years, twenty of which he owned and operated Murphy’s Barber Shop until his retirement in 2013.  Larry enjoyed playing music, writing poetry, playing pool, and wood carving.  He left a lasting impression on all who knew him, and he will be greatly missed.

He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, of the family home; two daughters, Lorrie Murphy, West Plains, Missouri, and Jennifer Haynes and husband, Richard, Mountain View, Missouri; three grandchildren, Clayton Haynes, Galena, Missouri, Mandy Haynes, Republic, Missouri, and Sarah Turnbull and husband, Chris, West Plains, Missouri; two great-grandchildren, Noah and Lyla Turnbull; one brother, David Murphy, West Plains, Missouri; his mother-in-law, Ruth Bennett, West Plains, Missouri; two brothers-in-law, Jim Bennett and wife, Charlotte, West Plains, Missouri, and John Bennett and wife, Rena, Waynesville, Missouri; and many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Jimmy Carl and Gene, his father-in-law, Harold Bennett, and two sisters-in-law, Brenda Murphy and Jan Bennett.