Funeral homes often submit obituaries as a service to the families they are assisting. However, we will be happy to accept obituaries from family members pending proper verification of the death.
Marilyn J. Murphy passed away on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at age 84 at Markham House in Portland, Ore., after a long fight with Alzheimer’s. She was born and raised in The Dalles, Ore., and was the oldest of six children of Gertrude and John Macnab. Her family was strongly Catholic, and she remained in the church her entire life. In 1954, she graduated from Saint Mary’s Academy in The Dalles and then Gonzaga University in 1958.Â
While at Gonzaga, she met the love of her life, Gene Murphy. After a six-month courtship, they married in November 1958 at Old St. Peter’s Catholic Church in The Dalles.In addition to working hard raising her children, she had a long career in insurance beginning with Liberty Mutual in Eugene in 1969. In 1982, she started the Alaska National Insurance Company claims department where she eventually became a senior vice president, finally retiring in 1999. They retired to Sunriver, where she lived until 2019. She was an avid golfer and loved to entertain. Â
She was predeceased by her father in 1957, brother Jim in 1958, mother in 1993, and husband in 2013.
Marilyn will be remembered for being a great mom, grandmother, sister and friend. Her life is best described by the Frank Sinatra song “I did it my way."
She is survived by son Dan and Andrea (Lake Oswego), daughter Molly and Darrell Friess (Anchorage, Alaska), granddaughters Emily Murphy (Portland) and Claire Murphy (New Zealand), sister Ann and Pat Hagel (Eugene), brother Steve and Patsy Macnab (Bend), brother Doug Macnab (The Dalles), sister Laurie and Vern Hammill (Grants Pass), and many nieces, nephews, and friends. For information on services, please contact Molly Friess, 907-227-4066 / molly@gci.net.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity.
My mom, Kay (Macnab) Bosshardt, was one of Marilyn's first cousins. Her dad, Bill Macnab, and Marilyn's dad were brothers. Mom passed away in August 2020 and was the first female of all the many Macnab cousins to pass away. Sorry for your loss! I have a lot of memories of Aunt Gert. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.
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My mom, Kay (Macnab) Bosshardt, was one of Marilyn's first cousins. Her dad, Bill Macnab, and Marilyn's dad were brothers. Mom passed away in August 2020 and was the first female of all the many Macnab cousins to pass away. Sorry for your loss! I have a lot of memories of Aunt Gert. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
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