Judith Murray McCracken

Judith Murray McCracken passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her family, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. Memorial service will be at 11:00 Wednesday morning at Seventh and James Baptist Church in Waco. Reception to follow.

Judy, as she was widely known, was born in Grapeland, Texas, on July 24, 1932, to Ruth Waller and Arch Earl Murray. Early years were divided between the family farm on the Trinity River and an active life in Grapeland schools. In 1942, at age ten, Judy hand-dug her own victory garden to aid American soldiers fighting in World War II – a sign of things to come in the form of Judy’s lifelong commitment to service.

Middle school years spent with precious Aunt Vashtie and Uncle Carr, then Aunt Dell and Uncle Fred were wonderful, formative years that she spoke of fondly. After a stint at All Saints Episcopal School as a boarder, Judy entered college at just sixteen years old.

As a student at Baylor, Judy found her footing in everything: school, service, and the multitude of social events on campus. Joyful pictures of her serving in uniform for the Varsity B program of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and Athenian Club (now Kappa Kappa Gamma), as well as being voted a Baylor Beauty and Homecoming Queen nominee, show a charming, happy college student making her way.

It was also at Baylor that Judy met Jarrell McCracken, a handsome graduate student who proposed to her on May 11, just as the deadly 1953 Waco Tornado was barreling its way toward downtown Waco. His work for a new radio station, KWTX, drew him immediately into helping cover the wreckage, while his new fiancée worried about his fate after not hearing from him fortwo days.

Judy and Jarrell led active lives in Waco, where they settled after graduation and marriage. Jarrell had just launched, almost by accident, his company called Word Records, based on a recording called “The Game of Life,” and Judy actively filled the important role of helping Jarell recruit and entertain artists and eventual executives along the way. Their home was always buzzing with activity, and Judy became a renowned hostess. Whether it was a last-minute dinner party for eighteen, or a fundraiser for 300, she always did it with grace, elegance, and gusto.

Described by her friends as “positive,” “informed, gracious, and elegant,” and one for whom “obstacles were temporary and surmountable,” Judy’s involvement in the Waco community soon included a wide – very wide – variety of charity and social work. Always artistic in her own right, she volunteered to encourage art education as a “Picture Lady” for public schools, read to pre-school children at the Evangelia Settlement, tutored older adults in reading and writing, drove Meals on Wheels for thirty years, served on the board of the Waco Zoo (long before it moved to Cameron Park), Strecker Museum, founding director of the Taylor Museum of Waco and McLennan County History, Historic Waco, Brazos Forum, volunteered at Hillcrest Hospital, Waco Symphony Council (before women were allowed on the symphony board), Samaritan Counseling center, and she was an early committee member who helped start Vanguard School. One of her longest running efforts was to host her famous Easter Egg hunts, originally for the community, but eventually for the Seventh and James Church community. Of the community organizations that she joined, one of her enduring favorites was Thursday Study Club, a group of women who brought research and literature to their programs for the edification of all.

Called “Mama,” (pronounced Mah-Mah) by her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, her most joyous role of all was gathering them in her home for all kinds of activities, sleepovers, and parties. Calling each of them by nicknames: “Ish,” “Skowronski” or “Darling Angel,” she was funny, positive, and ready for anything, from birthdays to graduations, pre-prom dinners to special projects (“Joan of Arc” and “The History of Fashion” come to mind), class fundraisers and weekly school luncheons for grandchildren and their classmates. She was also the consummate teacher, using educational scavenger hunts to lead her children and grandchildren in pursuit of their birthday or incidental present. She also tutored them in reading and math and led by example with her own voracious reading habits and interest in intellectual pursuits.

Judy was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Jarrell, siblings George Waller Murray, Jean Murray Duncan, Vonn Earl Murray, and great-grandson Thomas Leachman Lacy, III.

Judy is survived by her son, Timothy Jarell McCracken, her daughter, Lisa McCracken Lacy and husband Tom, grandchildren, Thomas Lacy and wife Taylor, Melissa Lacy Welker and husband Kyle, and Stephen Lacy and wife Madison, great-grandchildren Archer Lacy, Louisa Lacy, Margot Lacy, and Hallie Lacy. Judy is also survived by Jesse Steward, whose friendship and dedication through the years sustained not only Judy’s life, but the entire family’s life. The family would also like to thank Francisca Escalante, whose grace and loyalty helped make Judy’s world a better place.

We all wanted Mama to live forever but alas, the pattern of life does not work that way. There are comfort and peace for us knowing that she lived a full, rich life which she gracefully departed in the end. As Mama always said, “I’m a happy woman,” and she was.

The family invites you to leave a message or memory of Judith in her “Memorial Guestbook” at www.WHBfamily.com