Dr. Ron McMurry, Longtime Jasper Physician and Hospital District President, Passes Away

Dr. Ron McMurry, President of the Jasper Hospital District and a longtime family physician in Jasper. Photo courtesy of the Jasper Hospital District.

Dr. Ron McMurry, President of the Jasper Hospital District Board of Directors and a longtime family physician in Jasper, has passed away.

McMurry brought decades of medical experience and passionate advocacy for rural healthcare access to his leadership role with the hospital district.

Born and raised in Jasper, McMurry came from deep roots in the community—his family had lived in the area since before Texas achieved independence. His childhood experiences shaped his lifelong commitment to ensuring no one was turned away from medical care due to an inability to pay. McMurry's father, a pipeline foreman, was never able to afford health insurance for his wife and six children, leaving a lasting impression on young Ron when he watched his mother turned away from a doctor's office because she couldn't pay upfront.

After completing his medical education, McMurry returned to Jasper and opened his family practice with a vow that remained true throughout his career: never to turn away a patient because they couldn't afford care. His service as a medic in the U.S. Army further reinforced his commitment to providing healthcare in underserved areas, after witnessing firsthand how isolated communities could overcome barriers with determination and minimal resources.

Over his four decades of medical practice in Jasper, McMurry became a full-scope family physician—often the only comprehensive healthcare provider for the community. His scope of practice was remarkably broad; McMurry delivered babies, cared for patients from birth through their final days, and at certain points during his career, was one of the only physicians delivering babies in a seven-county region. At times, pregnant women traveled more than three hours to Galveston, hoping to avoid delivering on the ferry, because McMurry's services were among the few available locally.

Before retiring from his private practice in 2008, McMurry also served as director of the Jasper Newton County Public Health District, where he worked to expand access to prenatal care and other critical health services.

Recognizing that the challenge of rural healthcare access persisted after his retirement, McMurry took action in 2018 by running for the Jasper Hospital District board. As a board member, he became an outspoken advocate for addressing physician shortages and healthcare service gaps in the region. When the hospital's labor and delivery unit closed in 2019—a development he had warned about years earlier—McMurry channeled community concern into action, recruiting candidates for competitive hospital district board elections and helping to transform the district's approach to healthcare delivery.

Under McMurry's leadership as President, the Jasper Hospital District has undertaken significant projects to expand healthcare access. Most notably, the district opened two new clinics in 2024: the Primary Care Pavilion in Jasper and Total Care at the Lake in Brookeland—marking the first time in the district's nearly 60-year history that it owned and operated its own medical clinics.

McMurry's philosophy about change in rural healthcare was straightforward: "The real solution is where the problem is. It's with the people that are suffering, and getting them to believe that they can do something, and then getting them the resources to do it."

The Jasper Hospital District Board currently includes Vice-President Rodney Norsworthy Sr., Secretary/Treasurer James Gunter, and Directors Debra Harris, Laura Moore, Linda Templeton, Sam Job, Dynetro Hadnot, and Nicole Colvin.

Information regarding funeral arrangements or a memorial service will be shared once details are released by the family or funeral home.