Obituary of Dorothy Murphy

Dorothy Murphy is WALKING again!

Dorothy (Gundry) Murphy was born on 2/25/1938 in Spooner, WI and died on 8/29/2024 in Superior, WI.

Dorothy married her husband George Murphy on 10/3/1972. George has been waiting for Dorothy since 1/9/2015, and for the first time in their relationship they are taking walks together…on streets made of gold, no less!

Dorothy was afflicted with polio about the time she was 13, and confinement to a wheelchair affected her body but not her BEING!

Dorothy worked in Histology at the VA in Madison, WI  as a young lady, and then together with George maintained a family hobby farm of sheep and some goats for several years in Sun Prairie, WI before moving together with their son John and his family to Poplar, WI to enjoy their retirement years. 

Dorothy was active in their various churches and often played the organ. She and George have one son, John Murphy, and dozens of foster children, an adventure they embarked on together in 1987 and continued for many years. 

Dorothy was preceded in death by her parents and by George, and by her sister Jean’s husband Larry, and is survived by her siblings, sister Jean Whittlief, brother Jim (Rita) Gundry, sister Ruth (Dale) Scidmore, and by her son John (Sandy) Murphy and her granddaughter Hannah. 

George and Dorothy loved John, and then John’s family, and when John was young(er) they enjoyed several trips together in vehicles that had been adapted for Dorothy to be able to drive herself.

Despite her “disability” Dorothy remained active with others and developed close relationships with many friends.

George and Dorothy created a legacy of caring for children they were not required to, and Dorothy maintained that relationship throughout her life with two of those boys, Steve who was their first foster kid, and BJ, who came later. Dorothy is survived by her two Honorary Sons, BJ (Carrie) Jones and their children, Hailey and Connor; and Steve (Melynda) McElmurry and their children, Sam (Shelby) McElmurry and Caleb (Sara) McElmurry, and her Honorary Great-grandchildren, Aurora and Alex (Sam and Shelby), and Zander (Caleb and Sara). 

Dorothy also loved her dogs! Including, when John and Steve were boys, a beautiful Australian Shepherd called Jimmy and Jake, a gray Schnauzer who was very protective of Dorothy and spent hours on her lap. 

The Apostle John is famous as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” and Dorothy felt the same way. Throughout her life she rested securely, Deuteronomy 33.27, in his arms. 

So much so, that Dorothy’s life demonstrated (John 13.35) her love of Jesus and her confidence in Jesus by the way that Dorothy loved and cared for her family and friends, and the people she intentionally chose to make her family, like BJ and Steve and the dozens of others. 

Join us at 11am on Saturday, September 14, at Mission Covenant Church in Poplar, WI as we celebrate the impacts that Dorothy’s life has had on each of ours and rejoice together in that leap for joy that she made a few days ago, into the waiting arms of Jesus (and George) that she anticipated for so long!