Jane C. Murphy, mother of 11 children and beloved matriarch of the Murphy family of “the greater Middletown area,” passed away from this earthly life into eternal life July 4 in the loving presence of her children and grandchildren.
Jane was born Aug. 13, 1927 in Jersey City, one of eight children, the daughter of John J. Markey and Jane “Jennie” (neé Shea) Markey. Like her mother, Jane had a unique gift and aptitude for art and had planned on attending art school, but instead, she met the “love of her life,” James Joseph Murphy, a handsome, devout Irish Catholic, and young IBM systems analyst. They resided in Jersey City until 1963 when they moved to Middletown, not far from the shore and “Pop Markey’s” family bungalow that had been enjoyed by the family for generations.
Jane’s greatest loves were her family and her faith. She was a founding communicant and practicing Catholic at St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church, Middletown. She and her husband James supported the construction of what became St. Catherine’s School, where most of her children would attend.
In the early 1970s, Jane made a dramatic shift from homemaker and mother and decided to enter the workforce. She learned to drive a car in her early 40s and decided to attend nursing school at Monmouth County Vocational School to become a licensed practical nurse; simultaneously, she attended Brookdale Community College School of Nursing, where she received an associate degree in applied sciences. She was licensed as both a licensed practical nurse and a registered nurse. She was a practicing nurse for over 30 years at both Bayshore Hospital and Riverview, at the medical office of Dr. Douglas W. Chudzik (her son-in-law) and as a private-duty nurse. It was during this time as a private-duty nurse that she had the occasion to combine her excellent nursing skills with her faith, to care for, touch and comfort patients of many faiths as they transitioned from life to death.
In addition to her family, whom she loved, she was a daily communicant at “her church,” St. Catherine’s. She was the former president of the Ladies Alter Society, president of Beads for Mary and ultimately a trustee of St. Catherine’s church. She, along with her late husband James, were third-degree members of the Third Order of Saint Francis. Jane and her husband James embodied these Franciscan values and principles throughout their lives, valuing and placing God and his children over all things material in this world.
Jane had a great love of nature, trees, flowers, animals and all of God’s creation. For many years she enjoyed spending winters with her husband and family in her home in Sarasota, Florida. However, she mostly enjoyed the Jersey Shore, from her childhood days at “little” Ideal Beach to summers with her family in Stone Harbor, and although she never had the occasion to pursue a career in art, last summer (at the age of 91) she was awarded first place in an art competition at the Monmouth County Fair. However, she lived for and loved nothing more than God and her family: her husband, James Joseph, her children and grandchildren.
Jane was predeceased by her parents, John and Jennie Markey; James Joseph Murphy Jr., her husband of 52 years; and her two children, Francis Xavier Murphy Sr. and Jeanmarie (neé Murphy) Chudzik, both of Middletown.
She is survived by her nine remaining children and their families: James Joseph Murphy III (and wife Nancy), Hazlet; son-in-law Douglas W. Chudzik, M.D., Middletown; Thomas Aquinas Murphy (and wife Maria Lourdes), Middletown; Sean Patrick Murphy, Esq., (and wife Mary Kathleen), Little Silver; Kevin Jude Murphy, Middletown; Annmarie Murphy O’Reilly (and husband Timothy), Little Silver; Joseph James Murphy (and wife Kimberly), Somerset, Pennsylvania; Richard T. Murphy (and wife Sandee), Middletown; Paul Ignatius Murphy (and wife Nina), Middletown; and Valentina Marie (neé Murphy) Feldman (and husband Raymond), Hazlet. She is also survived by 28 grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, and a countless number of nieces, nephews and friends.
Visitation was July 8 at John F. Pfleger Funeral Home, Middletown. A Mass of Christian Burial was offered July 9 at St. Catherine’s Roman Catholic Church, Middletown, followed by interment at the family plot, Fair View Cemetery, Middletown.
In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that you remember Jane in your thoughts and that you pray the doxology: one Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory Be to the Father.
