Obituary of Elinor Murphy

MURPHY, Elinor Mary Agnes (nee McCrank)

Only days after enjoying the celebration of her 100th birthday, Elinor passed into the great unknown on Monday, May 29, 2017 at Sunnybrook Veterans' Centre amid the love of her family and her wonderful caregivers and the courage of her Catholic faith.  One hundred years very much 'lived.'  She had soldiered on courageously since the death of her loving and much loved husband Jim Murphy in 2005, first living independently in Calgary despite her blindness and then in 2012 having moved to Sunnybrook to be near their surviving daughter, Katherine Joan Murphy and her grandsons Gianrico and Marco De Pasquale.  Predeceased in 2008 by her son James Daniel Murphy.  Born into a Saskatchewan farming family in 1917, the hardships and austerity of the Depression were an integral part of her being.  After earning a BA at Notre Dame University in Wilcox, she trained as an RN at Regina Grey Nun's Hospital.  In WWII she served in the Army Medical Corps as a nursing sister in several European theatres of war.  She had many stories to tell, most of which remained unspoken.

After demobbing in Vernon, BC, she nursed in Prince Rupert where she and Jim, a former RCAF pilot, met and quickly became the loves of each other's lives.  They settled in Vancouver and until Dan and Joan were teens, she stayed home and continued to serve, this time her family both nuclear and extended.

She kept the home fires burning for the many years that Jim's passion for flying frequently took him to the hinterland.  His long absences were challenging for all and without her fortitude would have been impossible to endure, especially under difficult circumstances.  Oil exploration took them to Calgary through the final chapter of Jim's career where, despite having been confirmed 'Wet Coasters,' they happily stayed after retirement.  This allowed closer contact with her extended family whose love and attention over the years, most recently at the celebration of her centenary, has brought her great joy.

In her heyday Elinor loved a good party, was a consummate hostess and had a wicked sense of humor.  She was an excellent cook, the archetypal 'domestic engineer', a skilled tailor, and to the very end remained interested in everything in the world around her, largely thanks to the CBC.  She did not come from privilege or wealth however she was the epitome of grace and dignity.  The courage that she needed during wartime paled compared to the courage she displayed daily in dealing with the blindness that robbed her of so many of life's abilities, necessities and pleasures.

One hundred years; four hundred seasons; one true lady.  We are so grateful for her gifts and will honor her memory.  Memorial Thursday, June 1 at 11:00 a.m., Sunnybrook Veteran's Chapel.  Reception to follow.  Arrangements with Humphrey Funeral Home at www.humphreymilesnewbigging.com.