William Murphey Rainey

William Murphey Rainey (Bill) passed away on December 3, 2023, in Franklin, TN. at age 86.  He was the son of William Rufus Rainey and Mary Murphey Rainey of Macon, MS.  Bill was born in Electric Mills, MS. and grew up in Macon, MS.  He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Annie Louise Chancellor and Mary Milton Kirksey.  He is survived by his wife, Dee Ann Pettit Rainey of Branson, MO. and their two children, Lynndee Gillette Rainey and William Tyler Rainey, daughter-in-law, Clarice (Reese) Rainey and two beautiful granddaughters, Emma Elizabeth and Olivia Ann Rainey, all of Thompson Station, TN.

Mr. Rainey was a graduate of Millsaps College in Jackson, MS. and a member of Kappa Alpha Fraternity.  Upon graduation he joined the United States Navy and attended Officer Candidate School, ultimately retiring as a Commander after serving 20 years in the U S. Navy Reserves.  After serving in the Navy he received his Master’s Degree in History from the UN. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, founded in 1789, where his great, great grandfather graduated with the first class at UNC.  He went on to receive his Juris Doctor from the UN of MS. Law School where he was on the MS. Law Journal, a member of Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta International Law Fraternity, and founder of its Legal Research program.  During his practice in Gulfport, MS. he was a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the American Board of Trial Advocates, he served on the Board of the Salvation Army, member of the Gulfport Rotary Club, member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, the Gulfport Yacht Club, Bayou Bluff Tennis Club the Gulf Coast Wine Society, and the Century Club. After surviving Hurricane Katrina and retiring from his law practice in 2005 he and his family moved to Franklin, TN., where in 2014 he was a member of St. Paul’s, The Williamson Co. Singers, and Westhaven Golf Club.

Funeral services will be held on Sat., Jan. 13, at St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 510 W. Main St. in Franklin,
TN. at 12:00, noon, with a visitation in Otey Hall at 11:00.  Interment will be at 2:00 pm at Harpeth Hills Cemetery on Hwy. 100 at 2:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, or a charity of your choice