Dr. W. Gene Murff

Wilbur Gene Murff, 82, passed away June 3, 2024, at his home surrounded by loved ones.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Monday, June 10, 2024, at First Methodist Church of Waco at Lake Air and Cobbs with Reverends Ryan Barnett and Steven Ramsdell officiating. A visitation will be held the evening prior to the service from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., Sunday, June 9, in the Garden Room at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home in Waco, Texas.

Gene was born in Rotan, Texas on July 26, 1941, the third of four children born to Joe and Ruby Dutton Murff. Gene grew up near Hamlin, Texas, and spent many of his early days working on the family cotton farm and having fun getting into mischief with his sister, Norma, and two brothers, Bob and Bill. At Hamlin High School, Gene excelled in academics and extracurriculars, participating in FFA, playing baseball, and leading the football team as its starting quarterback.

He attended the University of Texas at Austin and continued his education at the UT Medical Branch in Galveston, where he earned his medical degree. During his studies in Galveston, he crossed paths with Fredda Bonifield with whom he enjoyed 60 years of happy marriage and two children, Steve and Stephanie. After graduation, Gene served as a flight surgeon with the rank of captain in the United States Air Force for three years, worked as an OB-GYN resident at UTMB San Antonio for three years, and then practiced as an OB-GYN for 41 years in Corsicana and Waco. During his career, Gene was honored by the McLennan County Medical Society as a recipient of the Gold-Headed Cane Award. In retirement, Gene could be found working cattle at his ranch in Mosheim and serving with Doctors Without Borders in Sierra Leone, for which he was recognized by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Most of all, he loved spending his time with his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and other loved ones that he always welcomed so warmly into his home.

Gene was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Ruby; his brother, Bob; and his sister, Norma.

Gene is survived by his wife, Fredda; his son, Steve, and wife, Linda; his daughter, Stephanie, and husband, Karsten Schattschneider; grandchildren Lindsay, David, Anna, Paul, and Clara; and great-grandchildren, Gibson and Greyson Riley. Gene is also survived by his brother Bill Murff and his wife Kay.

Pallbearers will be David Murff, Paul Schattschneider, Garrett Riley, Corey Norris, Cody Franklin, and Chance Gunter.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders or First Methodist of Waco Meals on Wheels.

The family invites you to leave a message or memory of Gene on his “Tribute Wall” at www.WHBfamily.com.