Mary Lucille Murphy was born January 4, 1932 to Fred and Cecille Babcock in East Troy, Wisconsin and passed away January 1, 2014. She is preceded in death by her two sisters, Jeannie and Shirley and her husband, Arthur Patrick Murphy.

Born and raised in East Troy, Wisconsin, Mary graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a teaching degree. She married Arthur Patrick Murphy “Pat” in 1955 and moved to a number of locations with their final address in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Pat passed away at the early age of 36 which left Mary alone to raise two children, Tim – 7, Nancy – 2.

Mary was loved dearly by her daughter, Nancy and son, Tim who referred to their mother as their best friend and advocate and she will be deeply missed and celebrated everyday as we move forward in life.

As we reflect about our mother, we would like to share memories of our mother:

Being a mother was her true calling and she provided her children a happy, loving home with many family memories. She was a great cook and kept us happy with her homemade cooking including her famous M&M Cookies, homemade fudge and Sunday night dinners which included her wonderful fried chicken. She loved listening to our music and especially liked the 70’s/80’s sounds from Genesis, Journey, and Styx.

Every year, she sacrificed and saved enough money so that we could travel to California and visit with her sister, Shirley, husband, Jim and our three cousins, Janet, Ellen and Susie. Those trips were the highlight of the year and we treasure those family memories.

Over the past 20 + years, Jeff and Nancy had the opportunity to take Mom on vacations to Colorado, Wyoming and Texas and she enjoyed the mountains and wildlife adventures as well as the Texas Hill Country where Jeff and Nancy reside. Tim and Kathy entertained Mom at their lovely home in St. Louis and always welcomed Mom with open arms, especially in her final days. We will miss the daily phone calls which included a lot of talk regarding politics, daily activities and sometimes just sharing a lot of memories…”do you remember when…”

Mom taught us how to be strong and supported us in accomplishing our goals while providing us the support to become successful in our lives. She sacrificed things for herself so that we could thrive and for this we are indebted to her and words cannot even express our thanks and gratitude. We respected and admired her spirit and strength and she will remain our motivation as we move forward in our lives.

Mom passed away peacefully in the arms of her daughter who was holding her hand during her final breath, along with her son and daughter in law next to her. She is survived by a loving family who will continue to celebrate her life and cherish the memories that she provided on a daily basis. These family members include Jeff Seal (husband of Nancy), Kathy O’Neill Murphy (wife of Tim) and two loving grandchildren, Sean Patrick and Abbey Murphy. Mom loved her nieces (Mary, Patty, Janet, Ellen and Susie). She also enjoyed the time spent with Shirley and Jim over the years and it was always fun to hear about their “stories” of growing up, double dating, and the close bond between Pat, Mom, Shirley and Jim.

The family will be having a private burial/service. In lieu of flowers, the family is accepting memorials in her name which can be sent to:

Mary Murphy

386 Vine Street

Glen Ellyn, Illinois, 60137

In closing, we miss you Mom and there is a huge hole in our hearts which we will fill with our loving memories. Love ya J