Edith Lee Murphy

Edith Lee Murphy, mother of Moses Lake resident Kathy Anne Sturm, died in her sleep on March 6, 2006 at the age of 89. She was being cared for at the Cascade Vista Convalescent Center in Redmond. Lee was the younger twin sister (by five minutes) of Mabel Irene Beinke who resides in Redmond.

Lee would not want you to mourn! She would want you to sing a song, have a glass of wine with a loved one, tell an enjoyable story and hug one of her many great-grandchildren. Most of all, she would want her family and friends to thank the Lord that she is now with Him.

Born June 13, 1916, in Brainerd, Minn., Lee was the youngest of four siblings. Her father, Frank Walter Brodhead, died of heart failure a year later. Her mother, May Eliza Meyer Brodhead, cared for the family with the help of friends. When Lee was 5 years old, the Brodhead family of five moved cross-country to live with relatives in Tacoma. Then they settled in Seattle's Theodora Home, a home for women with children who were without their husbands. Lee's memories of life there are rich with experiences of caring for other children, learning proper manners and much time for creative play. While there she took piano lessons and developed her natural talent and love for all forms of music. Besides playing the piano, she later became an enthusiastic ukelele player and also sang second alto in the Sweet Adelines.

Lee met Robert (Ed) Murphy on her way to Windemere Beach one summer day while still at Roosevelt High School in Seattle. They kissed on their first date! They married in 1935 and remained loving and affectionate the rest of their lives. Their first child, Ardis Lee, came in 1936. Twins Kathy Anne and Thomas Allen followed three and a half years later. Lee raised children while Ed worked as a heavy duty mechanic at Kenworth Truck Co. The outbreak of World War II prompted Lee to take her first full-time job as a "Rosie the Riveter" at an airplane factory in south Seattle. She was proud of her place in history and that she could do her part.

The adventure of Lee's life arrived in 1952. Ed was offered heavy duty mechanic's work through Kenworth in the oil industry in Saudi Arabia. Lee's furthest travels at that point had been by car to Wenatchee, but she eagerly moved her three children to Beirut, Lebanon, and then to a small community in the Saudi desert. Later in the 50s, she joined Ed in Kuwait. She told stories the rest of her life of meeting Bedouins, learning Arabic and hearing daily calls to prayer. She made many Arabian friends.

She started her second career in 1970 with the Environmental Protection Agency in Seattle. She became manager of her word processing department and was consistently recognized for her conscientious work ethic. Lee retired in 1980.

In 1971 Lee joined the Presbyterian church and became a faithful behind-the-scenes supporter. For many years she belonged to Bellevue 1st Presbyterian Church. Her last years were spent worshipping, giving and serving quietly at Overlake Park Presbyterian in Redmond.

Lee and Ed remained in love even after they divorced. She was a devoted and charming grandmother, bursting out with song for all occasions and excusing her grandchildren's belches with an Arabic blessing for a full stomach. She memorized a joke a week from the Reader's Digest to make people laugh. She was an avid sports fan, hanging posters of the Seahawks' Steve Largent and Mariners' Joey Cora above her bed! She loved being outdoors and summers at the beach found her swimming or sunbathing, most always with family. She was vibrant, cheerful and loving. She will be missed immensely!

She is survived by her twin sister Mabel Beinke; daughters and sons-in-law Ardie and Ron Margison of Fresno, Calif. and Kathy and Ken Sturm of Moses Lake; son and daughter-in-law Tom and Rosie Murphy of Portarlington, Ireland; grandchildren Heidi DiEugenio and Jess Goeman of California, Christopher and Jonathan Martin of Seattle and Catie and Deirdre Murphy of Ireland; eight great-grandchildren, Duke and Dane DiEugenio, Sarah and Joseph Martin, Noah and Anna Martin and Breic and Seirid Gleason; Dennis Beinke of Redmond; and numerous other nephews and nieces.

Lee is also survived by three "bonus" step-children and their mates, Mike and Linda Sturm of Issaquah, Diane and Kevin Cunningham of Bothell and Gary and Becky Sturm of Edgewood; five "bonus" grandchildren, Katie, Rachel and Andrew Cunningham, and Isabelle and Dillon Sturm.

A resurrection celebration was held at the Overlake Park Presbyterian Church in mid-March. Remembrances were made to the American Diabetes Association.

Hers was a life lived well.