Joan E. Murphy

1947 - 2017

Joan Elizabeth (Turner) Murphy, of Somerset, MA, passed away on December 4th, 2017, at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. Joan was the daughter of George Robert Turner, and Ruth Elizabeth Turner. She was born in Fall River, MA, in 1947, and was the wife of John (Jack) M. Murphy, Jr. She leaves behind a sister, Janice Ruth Engel, of Mattapoisett, MA, and brothers, Andrew John Turner, of North Dartmouth, MA, and the late George Robert Turner, Jr. She was the mother of Kara Anne Murphy-Poulin, and John M. Murphy III. She was the grandmother of Elizabeth Ruth Poulin, and Charles Inigo Poulin. She also leaves behind five nieces and nephews, as well as grand-nieces and grand-nephews. She was sister-in-law to Mary Louise Foley, of Watertown, MA, and the late Joseph F. Foley. She graduated from BMC Durfee High School, in Fall River, MA, in 1965, and then from Arthur Angelo's School of Cosmetology and Hair Design, in Providence, RI. She and her husband first met in the 8th grade, in North Park, Fall River, MA, and then became high school sweethearts. Soon after high school, her husband joined the service, and she later followed him to Pirmasens, Germany, where they were married in 1967. They remained married for fifty years, until the time of her passing. For many years, she was the proprietor of Fantasia Hair Stylists beauty salon, in Swansea, MA, and worked as a model with Donahue Models, in North Providence, RI. She was an aerobics instructor, and shared her enthusiasm for fitness with family and friends. She became an avid cyclist, and often took long rides, with her husband, by the Taunton River in Somerset, and over hills and wooded roads, in the nearby towns of Dighton and Swansea. She enjoyed invigorating walks along the ocean in Little Compton, RI, loved her Labrador Retrievers, and often stopped by for coffee and lunch at small cafes in the coastal village of Westport, MA. She enjoyed arts, crafts, and gardening. She was a talented painter, and decorated her home with oil paintings having a whimsical style that was uniquely hers. She was dedicated to her family, and was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She is missed dearly, and will live on in the hearts of all of those whose lives she touched. We mourn your passing so deeply, it is hard to express with words To know one can never hold someone so completely is to know life's bittersweet frailty. But to have known you at all is life's sweetest reward. After all, we could not hold you forever. My sweetest love, we have lost you My sweetest love, you are gone, but will be forever on my mind Goodbye our love We will love you always. Calling Hours will be held on Friday, December 8, 2017 from 4-7pm in the Hathaway Community Home for Funerals, 900 Buffinton Street, Somerset. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Funeral Services and burial will be privately held at the request of the family. Memorial donations in her memory can be made to Saint Jude Childrens Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1000 Dept. 142 Memphis, TN 38101. To light a memorial candle, sign guest book facility directions go to www. hathawayfunerals.com or call 508 672-3572.