MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WGNS) - Murfreesboro paused this week to honor a woman whose generosity, warmth, and steady presence shaped the lives of students, educators, and families across the Heart of Tennessee. Elizabeth “Liz” McPhee, the longtime First Lady of Middle Tennessee State University and wife of President Sidney A. McPhee, passed away suddenly on January 8 at the age of 72 after a brief illness, leaving a community deeply grateful for her decades of service.

WATCH THE VIDEO FROM THE LIZ MCPHEE MEMORIAL SERVICE

Her visitation on Tuesday at Belle Aire Baptist Church became a steady, heartfelt procession, with friends, former students, colleagues, and community leaders flowing through the sanctuary for hours. The same church on North Rutherford Boulevard hosted her funeral Wednesday morning, a service streamed live by MTSU so that the many people she touched could join from near and far.

Outside, the scene reflected just how widely she was loved. Officers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Murfreesboro Police, and MTSU Police lined the route, guiding a procession of nearly one hundred vehicles. The motorcade moved slowly and reverently down Middle Tennessee Boulevard, offering one last pass by the university she championed and the president’s home she filled with hospitality. From there, the procession continued to Evergreen Cemetery, where she was laid to rest.

Mrs. McPhee’s impact stretched far beyond campus. She was celebrated as an exceptional elementary educator by the Bradley Academy Museum and Cultural Center and recognized by Delta Sigma Theta’s Rutherford County Alumnae Chapter for her international outreach. She and President McPhee were honored together by the Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation in 2014 and again in 2022 when the local NAACP chapter presented them with its President’s Award.

First Baptist East Castle Pastor James Milton McCarroll, Jr. said...

Her service résumé reads like a map of Middle Tennessee’s most meaningful institutions. She was active in Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Kappa Gamma, deeply involved at Belle Aire Baptist Church, and served on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Board, the Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford Foundation Board, and the Murfreesboro City Schools Foundation Board. She also lent her time and leadership to the Arts Center of Cannon County and the Murfreesboro Domestic Violence Center.

But those who knew her say her quiet acts of kindness were just as defining. Longtime friend Joyce Taylor recalled that Mrs. McPhee never simply supported a charity—she hosted the fundraisers, covered the costs, and made sure the work was done with joy. Taylor said she often witnessed generosity that Mrs. McPhee preferred to keep private, always insisting that someone else must need help more than she did.

Close friend Joyce Taylor commented...

Her love for MTSU athletics was legendary. Women’s Basketball Coach Rick Insell, speaking just hours after her passing, said the program had lost “one of our most lovable, most avid supporters.” He remembered her traveling with the team, sharing meals with players, and quietly stepping in to support them in ways most people never saw. In 2024, Blue Raider Athletics honored her with its first-ever Blue Raider Impact Award for her unwavering advocacy for student-athletes. Even on the day she died, she was working on a charitable event for MTSU women’s golf and soccer.

Still another side of Liz McPhee was brought out by New Vision Senior Pastor Brady Cooper...

As the procession rolled past the university one final time, it felt like Murfreesboro itself was whispering a thank you. A thank you for the scholarships she helped fund, the students she encouraged, the nonprofits she strengthened, and the countless lives she touched without ever seeking recognition.

First Lady Elizabeth McPhee leaves behind a legacy woven into classrooms, boardrooms, sanctuaries, and sports arenas across Rutherford County. And as the community mourns, it also holds close MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee and the entire McPhee family, lifting them up in this season of remembrance.

Her new home is now Evergreen Cemetery, but her imprint remains everywhere in the city she loved.