Georgia Ann Murphy

GEORGIA ANN MURPHY APRIL 6, 1927 ââ‚"" MAY 8, 2012 Georgia Ann Murphy, beloved and devoted wife, sweet and affectionate mother, and a woman of strong faith in God and eternal life, passed away peacefully in Venice, Florida on May 8, 2012, on what would have been her late husband Lee’s 87th birthday. She was 85. Lee Murphy died on February 26, 2012. Her dear son, Stephen Lee Murphy, also preceded Georgia in death, passing away on April 10, 2012 at the age of 53. A native Californian, Georgia was a descendant of pioneer ranching families from Germany who settled in San Joaquin County beginning in 1849, and of Lithuanian immigrants to Iowa in the late 1800s. Georgia was born on April 6, 1927 in Stockton to Elsie and George Holman. She excelled in school, winning debate and science prizes and an award for best student of Latin, and graduated from Stockton High School in 1944. She enjoyed horseback riding and won blue ribbons in a competition in 1942. When her family faced financial difficulties during the Great Depression and World War II, Georgia worked in a number of jobs including in a cannery and in fields picking tomatoes, while still achieving high marks in school. She was on the varsity debating team in college and graduated from the University of the Pacific in 1947 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Georgia moved to San Francisco and worked as a laboratory technician at Fort Miley Veterans Hospital in the city and at Peralta Hospital in Oakland, where she commuted by cable car and ferry. Georgia met and fell in love with Lee at a boarding house where they both were living in San Francisco. They were married on August 27, 1950 in Stockton and took their honeymoon trip up the Redwood Highway to Crater Lake, OR. They made their first home together in San Francisco. Lee was a steel industry executive, working for Bethlehem Steel Corporation, and Georgia devoted herself to her family’s care. Their daughter Susan was born in Menlo Park and son Stephen in San Mateo. As Lee progressed to higher management positions, the family moved to Bethlehem, PA and then to the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park, NY. Lee and Georgia enjoyed 33 years with family and friends in Orchard Park before moving to Venice in 2004 and to the Village on the Isle in Venice in 2009. Georgia was a volunteer in her children’s schools and a Girl Scout leader. She was an avid reader and had a lifelong interest in learning. She was a kind, generous and loyal friend. A convert to the Roman Catholic faith in 1950, Georgia devoted much time to the study of her religion. She and Lee were church volunteers, working in religious education and as Eucharistic Ministers. In 1987, Georgia and Lee went on a pilgrimage with their church to Medjugorje, in the former Yugoslavia, to visit where the Virgin Mary was reported to have appeared to children. Another favorite trip was to the Holy Land in 1997. Georgia had a lot of fun in life, enjoying the outdoors and sports. She was spirited and loved to laugh. She had a goofy sense of humor and liked to make others laugh. She was a great storyteller. When she was raising her children in San Mateo, near the California coast, she and a friend would often take their families for dinnertime picnics with bonfires on the beach at Half Moon Bay. In her 40s she learned to water-ski with her sister’s family on the San Joaquin River Delta. Georgia played tennis regularly with her friends until recent years, and went downhill skiing and cross-country skiing with her family for many years. She loved to cook, listen to music, and take long walks. In Florida, she and Lee would often walk, bike and swim. She attended daily Mass. Appreciating the opportunity to travel and see interesting parts of the world, Georgia went on many fun vacations with her family, from skiing in New England and the Rockies to driving trips along the California and Oregon coasts and often to Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. For their fiftieth anniversary, Lee and Georgia retraced their honeymoon route up to Crater Lake, OR. After moving east, Georgia and her family stayed close to the California relatives with visits to Stockton, CA, and vacations to the beach at Aptos, CA and to Lake Tahoe. Georgia enjoyed seeing her daughter Susan and niece Kathy spend time each summer at the same Camp Fire Girls camp in the Sierras that she herself had attended in the late 1930s. In the 1990s, she brought her granddaughter to Orchard Park in the summers for a horseback riding camp. After her son Steve moved with his family to Belgium and later France, Georgia and Lee visited there many times. In retirement, Georgia and Lee took many memorable trips, including to Glacier, Banff, and Yellowstone Parks, the Grand Canyon, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Hawaii, Canada, Bermuda, France, Portugal, Ireland, England, Germany, Austria, Greece, Israel, Yugoslavia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, and Switzerland. Georgia bestowed on her children her love of mountains, oceans, and the beauty of nature. Georgia’s greatest joy was being with her beloved husband, children, and grandchildren. Her love for her family was boundless and unconditional. She loved them with a sweet intensity that left no doubt that they were perfect in her eyes. Through her example, Georgia taught her family to have perseverance, intellectual inquisitiveness, and a joyful faith in God. She gave her children independence and endless encouragement. She had a beautiful smile for everyone, and a loving hug. The family wishes to recognize and thank Clare Bridge of Venice, the Village on the Isle, and Tidewell Hospice and their exceptional staff members for providing the most kind, capable and loving care to Georgia. Georgia is survived by her daughter, Susan Murphy, of Arlington, VA; her sister, Elsie Liskewicz, of Stockton, CA; sister-in-law Helen Murphy, of Stockton, CA; granddaughters Catherine Jacobs, of Washington, DC, and Amelia Murphy, of Florence, Italy; grandsons Brian Jacobs, of West Point, NY, and Thomas Murphy, of Lenexa, KS; nieces Kathleen Kelsey (Mark), of Santa Clara, CA, and Carol Rugani (Ron), of Linden, CA; nephews Kenneth Murphy (Mary), of Tigard, OR; Arthur Liskewicz (Nancy) of Castro Valley, CA, and Allen Liskewicz (JoAnn) of San Diego, CA; and six great-nieces and one great-nephew. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, June 18 at 10:30 a.m. at Epiphany Cathedral in Venice. Interment will be in the Epiphany Memorial Garden. Service Information Date: Monday, June 18, 2012 Time: 10:30 am Cemetery Information Epiphany Memorial Gardens Address: 350 Tampa Ave. W. Venice, FL 34285 | Map