Sr. Lillian Murphy RSM

1941 - 2019

Sister Lillian Murphy, RSM

Sister Lillian Murphy died at the age of 78 on July 25, 2019, in San Francisco, the city of her birth. Lillian was the seventh of eight children born to Denis and Katherine Driscoll Murphy. She attended St. Peter's elementary and high schools in the Mission District where she came to know the Sisters of Mercy. She entered the Community in 1959 and was given the religious name of Sister Mary Denis, professing perpetual vows in 1967.
She earned a BA from Russell College in Burlingame in 1965 and an MA in Health Services Administration from UC Berkeley in 1977.
Her ministries included bookkeeper at Russell College and St. Joseph's Medical Center in Phoenix, Associate Administrator at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco and Our Lady's Home in Oakland, and Treasurer for the Sisters of Mercy. During her tenure at St. Mary's she was instrumental in the conversion of the old Southern Pacific Hospital building into Mercy Terrace as housing for seniors. This project spurred her interest in the development of low income housing. In 1987 she became President and CEO of Mercy Housing Denver, a ministry begun by the Sisters of Mercy of Omaha. Under her 27 year leadership, Mercy expanded to a nationwide ministry serving over 151,000 people that includes partnerships with nine healthcare systems. Her belief that affordable housing with supportive services is essential for healthy lives was a driving force that continues to be lived out.
She retired from Mercy Housing in 2014 then served as a housing consultant as well as board member of Catholic Health Initiatives. Sister Lillian's strong and practical leadership skills, her dedication to mission, her ability to get things done quietly without fanfare, and her sense of humor were valued gifts in her family, ministry and community.
In 1998 she received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the USF School of Nursing. In 1999 The Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award. The National Low Income Housing Coalition presented her with its leadership award in 2006. In 2009 she was inducted into Affordable Housing Finance's Hall of Fame, and in 2017 she was honored with the Dignity Award at the celebration of Mercy Housing's 35th anniversary.
Sister is preceded in death by brothers Bobby, Denis and Jack Murphy, sister Maureen (Cookie) Houlette and brother-in-law Dick McKevitt, and her parents. She is survived by her sister Kathleen (Babe) Pavlovich and her husband Bob, sister Jean (Dolly) McKevitt, brother Jerry and wife Jane Murphy and dozens of nieces and nephews who adore her and always will, and by her loving community of the Sisters of Mercy. Vigil will be held Monday, August 5 at 7 pm and Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, August 6 at 10:30, both at Our Lady of Angels Church, 1721 Hillside Dr. Burlingame. Committal Holy Cross Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be made to the Sisters of Mercy, 2300 Adeline Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010 or Mercy Housing: https://www.mercyhousing.org/donate/