Marjorie Murphy

Marjorie Reed Murphy, 84, died Sunday, August 26, 2012, at Sunshine Gardens West in Durango, Color. A funeral service will be held at 10 AM, Friday, August 31, 2012, at Hood Mortuary Chapel. Burial will occur at Greenmount Cemetery in Durango. Mrs. Murphy was born October 11, 1927, in Richland Center, Wis., the daughter of Edwin “Ted” and Josephine “Jo” Reed. Marjorie attended and graduated high school in Stevens Point, Wis. She then attended and graduated college from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a Medical Technologist. She and two college friends drove a convertible Studebaker to Arizona, where they found employment at a hospital. It was there that she met her future husband, James. Mr. Murphy was attending flight school. They married in Gallup, N.M., and then began the USAF military career of James. Marge raised the family in Sumter, S.C., Virginia Beach, Va., and also overseas in France during Jim's military career. In 1970, they retired to Durango and Marjorie continued to raise their children and also returned to work at the old Mercy Hospital as a Lab Technician for about six years. Marjorie enjoyed bridge with her friends, travel, reading, playing the piano and she was a wonderful cook. She was a Bronze Life Master in Bridge and taught some bridge at the Senior Center in Durango. She and James also attended USAF Recce reunions and traveled on cruises to the Panama Canal, Norway and Alaska. She is survived by James "Jim" Murphy (husband) of Durango, Dan Murphy (son) of Durango, Mark Murphy (son) of Preston, Md., Tanner J. Murphy (grandson) of Durango, Amanda Wu (granddaughter) of San Angelo, Texas, Laura Spies (granddaughter) of Cordova, Md., Katie Lambert (granddaughter) of Colorado Springs, Colo., Nathan Murphy (grandson) of Colorado Springs, Tina Schmidt (niece) of Cranbury, Pa., Cathy Konkol (niece) of Sullivan, Wis., and Andy Olk (nephew) of Brown Deer, WI. She was preceded in death by her son Ted Reed Murphy and her sister, Marlys Olk of Amherst, Wis.