Sandy Murphy

Sandra lee Murphy, the daughter of James and Betty (Jonason) Gottwalt, was born on August 25, 1945, in Minneapolis, MN.  She grew up in Minneapolis and graduated from Columbia Heights High School in 1962.  While working at Zales Jewelry Store, Sandy met the love of her life, Ronald Murphy.  They were united in marriage on January 19, 1963, in Minneapolis, and three children were born to this union, Michael, Michelle, and Christine.  Sandy and her family lived in numerous places around the United States before settling in Alexandria in 1974.  Sandy stayed at home and cared for her children during their school years and then she worked as a home health aide.  Sandy also ran Tannenbaum Christmas Stores for many years.

Sandy was a good cook and she liked to quilt and sew.  She loved spending time fishing on Lobster Lake and boating on Lake Superior.  Her favorite holiday was Christmas, and she always had the best decorations for holiday gatherings.  She liked to go shopping and buy gifts for her family, especially her grandchildren.  She especially loved to play games and spend time with her family. She had a love for traveling and liked to share glimpses of her experiences by bringing back souvenirs for her loved ones to enjoy. She inspired her grandchildren to express their creativity, no matter how old they get. Among her many passions Sandy loved listening to music, which also inspired her grandchildren’s love for music.  Her loving and caring nature led her to feed and admire the hummingbirds and cardinals that visited her every day at the lake.  Sandy was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and person who will be dearly missed by those who knew and loved her.

Sandy Murphy died on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, at Moments Assisted Living in Lakeville, MN at the age of 77 years old.  She is survived by her loving husband of 59 years, Ronald Murphy of Apple Valley; daughters, Michelle Schauer of Reno, NV and Christine (Scott) Navratil of Burnsville; grandchildren, Nicholas Schauer of Alexandria, Matthew Navratil of Burnsville, Megan Navratil of Burnsville, Jordan Schauer of Alexandria; and Sarah Navratil of Burnsville; sister-in-law, Jolene (David) Phillips of New Brighton and her niece Rachel Berg, Sean Phillips, Shannon Savelkoul and Molly Poulton.

Sandy was preceded in death by her son, Michael Murphy, parents, and her sister Bonnie Harrison.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 8, 2022, at 2 PM at the Anderson Funeral Home in Alexandria.

A visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

Interment will be in Geneva Cemetery in Alexandria.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial contributions to the Alzheimer’s Association; providing Alzheimer’s care and support and accelerating research.