Janet Lee Murphy

Janet Lee Murphy (Smith) was received by the welcoming arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, into His Heavenly Home on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. Jan performed her Earthly work astonishingly well – all for Jesus. Her maternal grandfather, Otto Sieloff, was a bareknuckle Chicago Prize Fighter, and husband to Ottilia (Heringer). She was preceded in death by her father (John Davis Smith II), Mother (Emily Elizabeth Smith (Sieloff)), Sister (Jerol Ann Smith) and Brother (John Smith). 

Jan was born in Chicago on March 30, 1940. While still in grade school, her family moved to Elkhart, Indiana. After graduating from Elhart High School, she became the Territorial Secretary for Elkhart’s Conn Organ Corporation. Jan relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1963, where she worked for one year as On-Stage Secretary at Alexander Film Company. She then assisted the Treasurer of Colorado Interstate Gas Company (“CIG”) until 1970. Months after her arrival in Colorado Springs, mutual friend, Shirley Nash, introduced Jan to Bill Murphy (USAF, Lt., at the time), who had, himself, recently arrived in the area for assignment to Ent AFB. 

Jesus joined Jan and Bill in Marriage on March 11, 1966. She gave birth to the future Brock Grady Murphy, Esq., on February 10, 1970, and made raising him her full-time job for three years. She returned to work in 1973 after the family moved to Reston, VA for Bill’s assignment to the Joint Chiefs of Staff at The Pentagon, serving as Administrative Coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Physics Lab after which she became the Assistant Secretary to the USGS Personnel Officer. In 1976, Jan, Bill, and Brock moved to Montgomery, Alabama so Bill could first attend and then teach at the Air War College at Maxwell AFB. While in Montgomery, she worked in the law office of Victor Ballardafter which she earned an Outstanding Service Commendation from the USAF for transcribing taped interviews of World War II flying aces, editing their dialog into book form for the Air Force Libraries. 

The family moved to Englewood, Colorado in 1981 where Jan worked for Kenneth Barr, President of Amoco Minerals Corporation subsidiary, Cypress Minerals Company. There, she worked closely with a landowner/developer and others to create Amoco/Cypress Minerals “Panorama Office Park.” After taking time off to care for her ailing father, she returned to work in 1988 for the Denver Division Crude Oil Supply Group of Chevron USA, Inc., coordinating its office’s interface with Chevron’s regional office in Houston, TX, and its corporate headquarters in San Francisco, CA. In 1990, Jan obtained her real estate license in Colorado and, after she and Bill moved to Navarre, Florida in 1994,obtained a Florida license. Jan and Bill established Navarre Realty, Inc. in 1997 – they both fully retired in 2002. 

Jan spent the remaining 24 years of life as a loving wife and mother. Special thanks to Baptist Gulf Breeze Hospital and its staff (especially, Jenny Spurgeon, Laci Yonker, and Shirley), the fine people at De Luna Health and Rehabilitation Center, and the staff at HCA Florida West Hospital (especially, ER physician, Dr. Leo Gonzales, as well as Dr. Bailey and CCU Charge Nurse Joanna). 

Jan’s life will be celebrated at the Currie-Jefferson Funeral Home (2701 John Hawkins Pkwy, Hoover, AL 35244) on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 2:00PM CST (visitation the hour before). 

Jan was deeply loved and will be greatly missed by those who had the pleasure of meeting her. May she forever rest peacefully in Heaven. Bill and Brock find special comfort knowing she is reunited with family and friends in the presence of Jesus. We loved her physical presence here on Earth and celebrate with inexpressible love and adoration her spirit which was created by our Lord and Savior, Jesus, which has returned to his divine presence, and which we were gifted to accompany while she was here on Earth. Ps. 3:3