Individual Details

Death

John "Malcolm" Furr, 89 years of age, of Oakboro, passed away Monday, April 27, 2015 at his home. Malcolm was born March 23, 1926 in Stanfield, NC, to the late Rufus Lafayette Furr and the late Emma Gertrude Furr. He was also preceded in death by five siblings, Maxine Creed, Billie Jean Kelbaugh, Libby Benfield, Bob Furr, and Wayne Furr. The family will receive friends from 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm, Wednesday, April 29, 2015 at Big Lick Baptist Church. The funeral service will follow at 3:00 pm in the church sanctuary and will be officiated by Rev. Jeff Springer. Burial will follow at the Big Lick Baptist Church Cemetery at 626 Big Lick Road, Oakboro. Malcolm was a Navy veteran of WWII. He was a Christian man who loved his family. He enjoyed singing and playing guitar, televised sports, bible reading, talking on the phone, and his yardwork. Survivors include wife of 60 years, Aleen Furr of Oakboro; son, John "Mike" Furr, Jr. of Oakboro; son, Randy (Susan) Furr of Little River, SC; daughter, Annette Creecy of Oakboro; son, Greg (Donna) Furr of Oakboro; sister, Peggy Teeter of Charlotte; eight grandchildren, Michael, David, John, Kristen, and Leslie Furr, Emily Whitener, Jake Creecy, and Whitney Wright; and five great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to Samaritan's Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607. Hartsell Funeral Home is serving the Furr family.

Military

World War II veteran John Malcolm Furr was finally awarded his service medals in a ceremony at Big Lick Baptist Church March 27. Furr, 85, was never issued his service medals after being decommissioned from the Navy in 1946.Furr’s son, Greg, had been trying for two years to get the medals issued for his father. Furr was unaware when he went to church that morning that his family had arranged for Big Lick’s Rev. Jeff Springer to hold the ceremony during the morning service. “This morning we want to take this time to honor one of our WWII veterans, Seaman First Class John Malcolm Furr, who served in the U.S. Navy from May 13, 1944 until May 19, 1946 aboard the Troop Transport, USS General Omar Bundy,” Springer said. Springer then asked, “John Malcolm Furr will you please come forward.” “He looked at me as I had done something bad wrong,” Aileen Pigg Furr, Malcolm’s wife, said. Furr and his wife went to the front altar of the church and were joined by their children, Michael, Randy, Greg and Annette, and grandson Jake. Springer then called out each medal awarded and each of Furr’s sons and grandson pinned a medal on Malcolm’s jacket, with wife Aileen pinning on the last medal. “I was so out of sorts you might say. I couldn’t speak, all I could do was shed a tear, surprising me like that,” Malcolm Furr said.