SOUTH PORTLAND – Mary Murphy was born in 1918, when the Boston Red Sox won the World Series.
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That championship was followed by 85 long and frustrating seasons for Mrs. Murphy and the rest of Red Sox Nation. In 2004, she finally saw her beloved team win the World Series.
Jeanne Feeney of South Portland, the youngest of her five children, recalled that night Friday — her mother wearing a pink Red Sox hat, sitting in her recliner, cheering loudly for the Red Sox.
“When something good happened, I’d hear her clapping and screaming, ‘Go, go, go run, run, run,’” said Feeney. “After the game, she stood up and said, ‘Oh my God … they won the World Series. My mom was so happy.”
Mrs. Murphy died on Thursday. She was 92.
She and Thomas Murphy were married for 35 years. They met at the local A&P grocery store. She dropped a jar of peanut butter in an aisle and he was told to clean it up. They began dating soon after that.
He died in 1976. She never remarried.
Her son, Thomas Murphy of Old Orchard Beach, said his parents had a good life together.
“She adored my father,” he said. “The biggest thing my mom ever did was become his nurse when he got sick. She did something that none of us could do — she took care of him.”
Mrs. Murphy was remembered by her children Friday as a strong and upbeat person who had a good sense of humor.
She was a devoted homemaker who volunteered in the cafeteria at what is now the Cathedral School in Portland.
Feeney, who attended the school with some of her siblings, said her mother volunteered there for more than 10 years. She said her mother was a source of constant support and strength in their lives.
“She stood up for her beliefs and she stood up for me,” Feeney said. “When I had my first son, she stood by me through thick and thin. I always promised her I would take care of her. She has lived with me for the past 16 years.”
Thomas Murphy said his mother was caring and supportive. He said she was always in the stands at his baseball games.
“She would do anything for us,” he said. “If I needed anything, she would make sure I got it. She was always around to help with taking care of our kids.”
Mrs. Murphy was surrounded by her five children Thursday afternoon, when she died at her daughter’s home.
Her daughter Carol Wilson of Newnan, Ga., flew to Maine to be with her mother in her last days. Mrs. Murphy closed her eyes on Tuesday and slept peacefully until she died on Thursday.
“She had a beautiful death,” Wilson said. “It was peaceful. It was exactly what she wanted — to be asleep.”
Feeney, who lived with her mother for most of her life, said, “She lived a long, full life. … She’s got a lot of people up there waiting for her. She was the baby, the youngest of nine children, and was the last to go. I bet she’s up there dancing with Patrick Swayze. ‘Dirty Dancing’ was her favorite movie.”
Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at:
mcreamer@pressherald.com
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