Martha Frances Murphy

Martha Becker Murphy, 95, passed away in her home surrounded by her family in Black Mountain on October 7, 2025. Born in 1930 in Douglas, Arizona, Martha lived with her parents and two older brothers. At the age of five, the family moved to Rahway, New Jersey, a place she remembered with profound fondness throughout her life as an idyllic place to grow up, full of eccentric neighbors, kind teachers, and roaming dogs. The family moved once more to Chicago, where Martha's father, a metallurgist, took a position with the Continental Can Company. She attended Sullivan High School and then the University of Dubuque, Iowa, taking a degree in speech and drama with minors in music (piano) and English. Martha maintained friendships with several of her college friends throughout her long life, and spoke with affection of her time there in the post-war years. Invited by an aspiring-actress friend to join her in New York City, Martha arrived in the Lower East Side, according to a friend, "in white tights and clutching a rotten banana." She soon was caught up in the exciting and chaotic world of struggling young actors and artists. She attended many plays and musicals in Broadway's golden age, and always kept her love of theater and musicals in particular. Martha joined the small army of young women entering the work force in the early 1950s, working in secretarial roles in several companies, eventually landing in the personnel department of the American Cancer Society. There, she met Thomas Murphy, a quiet, cerebral former member of a monastic order, who provided the calm and stability missing in her bohemian life. They married and moved to Long Island, where they raised their three children and several dogs. For many years, Martha was devoted to raising her children, singing and telling them stories, serving as superintendent of the hundreds-strong Sunday School at the Levittown Community Church, and helping in the schools. When her children were a little older, she began to work in secretarial positions, soon joining the personnel department of White Rose Foods. She loved the colorful world of quirky office personalities and teamster politics and left it with some regret when she and Tom, now empty nesters, decided to retire to Black Mountain. In retirement, Martha hit her summit. She volunteered with the Old Depot Association; Memorial Mission Hospital; Helpmate domestic violence services; the Black Mountain Chamber of Commerce; Guardian ad Litem, representing many children in crisis; the hotline of the Buncombe County Extension Service as a Master Food Preserver; Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministries, delivering Meals on Wheels; assisting in the office at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church; organizing the first Messiah Sing, held at Montreat; and she was active for many years in PEO, chapter D. She was well known in the dog-walking community, owning and loving her many dogs over the decades. Quietly devout, Martha practiced every day compassion for the "least of these." She was drawn to those who needed help, who needed a friend, or who needed a kind word. She befriended the awkward children in the neighborhood, the lonely, the newcomer, the shy. Every dog she ever owned was a "special case," adopted from an animal shelter, and who loved her with fierce fidelity. Martha loved her garden, Lake Tomahawk, puzzles of many kinds, British television, old movies, and being with her family. Any problem could be made easier with a cup of tea, and she never met a cookie she didn't like. Martha is preceded in death by her parents, Hugo and Hannah Becker; brothers Hugo and John; husband Thomas; niece Lisa Becker; and many friends. She is survived by son John Murphy (Elisabeth) and daughter Amanda Proietti (Gerald) of Black Mountain; daughter Nell Murphy (Garfield George) of Jersey City, NJ; grandchildren Gordon Murphy of Boston, Joseph Murphy (Megan) of Alexandria, Virginia, Nicholas Murphy (Madison) of Durham, Emma Proietti of Asheville, and Violet Murphy-George of Jersey City; her much-beloved dog, Charly; and special friend Connie Slater. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Save the Children (savethechildren.org) or Brother Wolf Animal Rescue (bwar.org), two organizations close to Martha's heart. A memorial service at First Christian Church of Black Mountain is planned for a later date. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Martha Frances Murphy, please visit our floral store.