Florence Murphy Obituary

Florence McConnell Murphy died June 29, 2005 at the Laramie Care Center in Laramie, WY. Florence was born February 24, 1917 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Haddonfield, NJ where on September 15, 1945 she married Arthur B. Murphy, having known him since fifth grade. Her passions included her involvement in the Jane Austin Society in Colorado Springs and studying and traveling in Western Europe, particularly England. Throughout her married life she accompanied her husband and their two children as the Air Force took them to many places both in the U.S. and Europe. At each station, she would continue her education by taking a class or two. In 1967 she and Art were stationed in Laramie. She took classes at the University of Wyoming and remembered fondly both her biology class and her theater class, taught by Charlie Parker. In 1969 they retired to Colorado Springs. In the summer of 2001 she moved back to Laramie to be closer to her husband and daughter. Florence's proudest accomplishment was her graduation from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. At age 66, she received a BA in history, Summa Cum Laude. During her time in Colorado Springs she worked for the U.S. Census Bureau during the deciennial censuses and doing various surveys. She also worked at the Public Trustees Office. She is survived by her daughter, Claire Murphy and her husband, Dave McCoy of Laramie, and her son, Craig Murphy and his wife, JoAnne Yates of Watertown, MA. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur and her sisters: Mary Taylor Wiant and Marjorie Dickinson. A memorial service will be held in the chapel of St. Matthew's Cathedral on Friday, July1st at 10:00 a.m. She will be inured in the columbarium at Chapel of Our Savior in Colorado Springs at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Florence M. Murphy scholarship at the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs or to Hospice of Laramie. Services are under the direction of the Rocky Mountain Funeral Home.